ALLEGED HAREDI PEDOPHILE: The Kids Came On To Me

Bar Mitzvah tutor tells court 12 year old boys tried to seduce him.

Molest defendant: Kid came on to me
BY SCOTT SHIFREL • NY DAILY NEWS

A Bar Mitzvah tutor and social worker charged with molesting four teens took the stand Tuesday to deny it - and even said one of the youngsters came on to him.

Yona Weinberg, 31, of Flatbush, said one teen asked him about Viagra and sex toys while he was praying and teaching Talmud, and another tried to grab his crotch.
He denied abusing the teens.

"It never happened," the married father of four said of one boy's account of a sexual proposition.
He said another boy put his hand on his right leg in a van.

Later, [Weinberg claims] the boy said, "He had feelings for me. I explained to him that they were not mutual. I told him he would eventually outgrow them."

Weinberg, a licensed social worker who is now in real estate, lost his composure only when defense lawyer Marvin Schecter asked if he had called any of the families since his May 2008 arrest.

"I called at least two other patients to inform them I was no longer allowed to work with children," he said, lowering his voice, taking off his glasses and wiping his eyes.

Cross-examination is slated for Wednesday.

[Hat Tip: JWB.]

Comments

[a reader]

another rabbi praising a ponzi-scammer. paging avi shafran.
http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c36_a16151/News/New_York.html

[Dr. Dave]

Mr. Weinberg, are you trying to seduce me?

Don't be ridiculous Benjamin...

[Hometown Postville]

So... presumably during religious instruction, this man was bombarded with unsolicited questions about modern sexual enhancements by 12 year old boys whose hormones then went so wild with his benign answers that they started pawing and grabbing at him? If his reputation preceded him, these youngsters could have been vulnerable enough to consider experimentation, but to be so brazen as to actually initiate it?? The boys may have been enticed to make the first move because it was presented as a harmless game, special favors promised,threats toward family/reputation, or subtle encouragement pointed at the vulnerability and curiousity of their age group.
What 12 year old would ask questions about Viagra and sex toys unprompted unless the atmosphere was condusive to such a conversation and those topics had already been broached? No matter what the case, the families of these boys would not have opened them up to the kind of scrutiny/publicity an investigation would prompt if they didn't believe these were serious allegations. 12 yr olds on the brink of puberty don't generally discuss or report such sensitive things to their parents unless it was more troubling to keep it to themselves. But the bottom line remains... he is an adult/they are children. And as an adult he is responsibile for teaching and maintaining emotional/physical boundries that children do not yet understand. Bravo to the boys and their families for bringing this to the forefront, lessening the stigma for others!

[radical feminist]

Actually, that is the excuse used in the Torah several times, including the abuse of Lots daughters. He was drunk, it was their idea, as it was in the story of Noah and his sons. Seems to be a reoccuring theme. The child is at fault; that is probably where he got the idea of blaming the child.

[maven]

Hometown: I'm sure this transpired just as the molester claims- in his own mind. This is what transference in psychoanalysis is supposed to replicate, the pervert believes his victims are really sending him signals, that they really want him, but its all coming out of his own warped reading of the interaction.

[steve]

What a sicko! After he was first arrested, there were people coming to his defense on the blogs saying it was "impossible", and that he was totally innocent. This is his defense? I hope they lock him up for a long time and that all the pedophiles out there see this as a warning. The kids WILL report you and WILL testify against you. May we see the end of Omerta in the Orthodox community.

[steve]

ONLY UP TO TWO YEARS FOR MOLESTING AT LEAST FOUR CHILDREN? SIX MONTHS PER CHILD? PATHETIC!

Brooklyn, NY - Kings County District Attorney Charles J. Hynes today announced the conviction of a 31-year-old teacher, for Seven Counts of Sexual Abuse in the Second Degree and Two Counts of Endangering the Welfare of a Child, for sexually abusing two boys.

The Flatbush Bar Mitzvah tutor and licensed social worker, will be sentenced September 9. He faces up to two years in jail.

The victims were ages 12 and 13 at the time. One was one of the teacher's students, from his synagogue, where he gave Bar Mitzvah lessons. The other was a client from his work as a licensed social worker for the Jewish Board of Family and Children’s Services.

[Red Sox Fan]

Okay guys, for argument's sake - what if the tutor is telling the truth? What if the kids decided to have a little fun and make up stories?

I AM NOT SAYING THAT THIS WAS THE CASE HERE!

I am just asking a hypothetical question - how does someone who is being falsely accused proclaim his innocence?

[steve]

I'm glad you weren't one of the jurors. If you believe his story you probably also believe that Bucky Dent's home run in 1978 was a foul ball.

[Shmarya]

Okay guys, for argument's sake - what if the tutor is telling the truth? What if the kids decided to have a little fun and make up stories?

Because they didn't know each other?

Because they each told independent stories of molestation?

Because kids don't act the way he said?

Because each was examined by a court appointed psychologist?

Want another dozen reasons?

[A. Nuran]

Red Sox Fan,

The police are very, very good at this sort of thing. They're used to dealing with false accusations, false confessions and groups of people who coordinate their stories. And they tear it apart during investigations. What they don't catch a District Attorney can rip to shreds under cross-examination.

[Red Sox Fan]

Yona Weinberg was a classmate of mine in elementary school. Never saw it coming.

[Proton Soup]

it's normal for pubescent kids to be curious about sex and ask questions. it's not normal to interpret that as a sexual advance.

[MisterApikoros]

If it was one kid, I'd be inclined to give Weinberg the benefit of the doubt. But four, on different occasions, who told independent stories? Gimme a break.

From my perspective, the fact that four kids (and their parents) defied the Haredi Omerta and testified against this molester is wonderful. The way to nail these perverts is to catch them in the act, or to go right to the cops after the act took place.

[A. Nuran]

This isn't surprising. "She asked for it" is the rapist's standard defense. "I can't help it. "The kids wanted me to do them" is same song, different verse for pedophiles. Sometimes the perpetrators even believe it.

That doesn't excuse anything. Anyone who wasn't raised in a bell jar and only recently released knows that having sex with minors is a serious crime. It's an adult's responsibility to keep hands off no matter how cute or curious the kid is.

It really is as simple as that.

[Hometown Postville]

Radical Feminist- You're right! I forgot about those stories(Lot/Noah). Ironic how easy it can be to twist religion to justify deviance. Per the stories you cited; what do you think? Are they merely historical tidbits to make the reading more interesting, or is there some hidden agenda that justifies what happened?

Maven "I'm sure this transpired just as the molester claims- in his own mind..."
Very insightful explanation, this transference idea intrigues me and I will research it more. Are you a psychologist?

[nobody]

Hometown postville, are you really that naive? What do you mean, "what 12 year old" asks about viagra and sex toys? At 12 a boy's hormones are raging. It is certainly natural to ask about these things, which most normal people have heard of. What is not natural is sexual activity with an old man and young boy!

[nobody]

I agree with the previous posters that if the kids were making it up, the psychologists and police would be onto them, and also the fact that its several different kids makes it more of an unbelievable story he's giving.

[Hometown Postville]

Well, "nobody," it's been a while since I've been 12 and I'm not from generation X so if that makes me naive, then I guess I am. My point of reference is my 12 yr old who has developmental disabilities so she hasn't gotten that specific with her questions yet.

[maven]

Hometown: I'm a medical person, so I'm trained about these things. Here's a nice summary: http://www.crisiscounseling.com/Articles/Transference.htm

[Hometown Postville]

Thanks maven! I've worked with developmental disabilities and mental illness for many years but have been more of a bystander when it comes to the nuts and bolts of developing treatment plans.