Orthodox Abuse Victims Hope Healing Begins With Rabbi's Extradition And Arrest
The New York Daily News has an article on the extradition of Rabbi Avrohom Mondrowitz, the Gerre hasid who allegedly raped dozens of young boys in Brooklyn during the 1970s and early 1980s. After being arrested and charged, Mondrowitz was released on unsupervised bail. He promptly fled to Israel, where he has lived openly and safely for almost 25 years, still with unfettered access to young boys.
After quoting other alleged victims, the Daily News closes with the money quote:
A 39-year-old rabbi filed a complaint last year, accusing Mondrowitz of abusing him when he was 11. He charged that pedophiles are still free to ruin lives in the closed Orthodox community, where leaders routinely silence victims to avoid scandal.
"There are probably more kids harmed in this community than any other because everything is placed under the rug," he said. "They throw a kid out of school if he complains. "This will send a message: You can run away and hide and you can think it is forgotten, but eventually it will hunt you down and get you. That is very important. It is a deterrent we never had."
Ask yourself why Agudath Israel did not lobby for the extradition of Rabbi Mondrowitz. Ask youself why Agudath Israel did not either provide counseling for the victims of Rabbi Mondrowitz or publicly and contemporaneously educate their communities about sexual crimes committed against children.
You know the answer.
They covered up instead.
UOJ claims Mondrowitz has now been arrested in Israel. We'll see how that works out, if does at all, as the days go by.
[Hat Tips: Michelle, UOJ, and Steve.]
Why did Ohel send victims of abuse to be treated by Mondrowitz without verifying his bona fides?
Why does the Agudah continue to oppose any proposed law that would serve to regulate how parochial schools address child abuse?
Why does Ger continue to protect Mondrowitz?
Why are the Israelis not shipping Mondrowitz off to the US?
Why is the Israeli media silent on the Mondrowitz story?
Posted by: anon | October 17, 2007 at 02:12 PM
Why did Hynes wait almost twenty years to request Mondrowitz' extradition?
Answer to this question and anon's questions:
$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$
Posted by: steve | October 17, 2007 at 03:06 PM
Having fetched my gown of brain surgeon, i propose the following replies.
"Why does the Agudah continue to oppose any proposed law that would serve to regulate how parochial schools address child abuse?"
Asks Anon
because in their warped world, the only law they recognise is what they perceive as torah law. in this world of theirs, there is no room for governments to "interfere", not israel's nor the US's.
"Why does Ger continue to protect Mondrowitz?"
Asks Anon
because they believe that, if they stick their head in the sand, the problem will never be noticed.
"Why are the Israelis not shipping Mondrowitz off to the US?"
Asks Anon
probably for the same reason it took them several years to extradite that other neshome mayer lanskey to the gentiles!
"Why is the Israeli media silent on the Mondrowitz story?"
Asks Anon
maybe because they have their hands full with 1-olmert 2-hirshzon 3-shmita 4- journalists maybe afraid to be beaten up by energetic chassidim.
"Why did Hynes wait almost twenty years to request Mondrowitz' extradition?"
Asks Steve
$$$$$ u say? no, I don't think so. that would be a consideration for chareidim. -the thoyreh chosso al momonom shel yisroel!
a- young abused traumatised people normally have difficulties facing the problems, feeling guilt and shame and want to hide them.
b- with the face of the rabbinic leadership responsible of their education - kifnei hakelev, who can blame them?
Posted by: Ben Qor'ha (Baldwin) | October 17, 2007 at 05:05 PM
Baldwin,
Hynes' refusal to have Mondrowitz extradited had nothing to do with the victims' hiding their shame. In fact, several of his victims had already come forward and the indictment was already in place. We all know that Hynes is on the take and that he was pressured by the likes of Bomzer and Ben Barber to sweep the Mondrowitz case under the rug.
Posted by: steve | October 17, 2007 at 07:29 PM
Hynes' refusal to have Mondrowitz
u r right steve! sorry. i had misunderstood and thought that hynes was a victim himself!
Posted by: Ben Qor'ha (Baldwin) | October 18, 2007 at 10:48 AM
why r u calling him rabbi call him rapist mondrowitz
Posted by: chaim | October 18, 2007 at 11:44 AM
Why is this a surprise? Ben Zion Sobol sodomized dozens of teens in a "yeshiva" he set up just for this purpose, Neve Yehoshua, there was a suicide of an affected talmid, and no one said anything.
Now, mixed swimming, on the other hand, that would have gotten him in trouble.
Posted by: mickey | October 22, 2007 at 05:27 PM
...why does Ger protect him? because they believe that if they...
HE DOES NOT STEP INTO GER BECAUSE HE WAS WARNED NOT TO! HE HASN'T GONE THERE SINCE HE RAN AWAY TO ISRAEL. NOBODY THERE IS "PROTECTING" HIM! YOU PEOPLE ARE THE ONES WITH YOUR HEAD IN THE SAND THINKING YOU COULD WRITE ALL SORTS OF CONSPIRACY THEORIES ABOUT ORTHODOX JEWS AND THE WORLD WILL BELIEVE IT. DID YOU HEAR THE ONE ABOUT HOW GER CONTROLS THE WORLD MEDIA?.....
Posted by: rebbele | October 23, 2007 at 09:39 PM