The Questions Ohel Won't Answer

The behemoth Orthodox/ultra-Orthodox Brooklyn-based social services agency is under fire. I asked Ohel's CEO, David Mandel (pictured at right), two questions that, if properly answered would go a long way toward fixing the agency's damaged public image. But David Mandel did not answer the questions. Here are the two questions Ohel would not answer.

Originally published on Thursday, June 2 at 6:29 pm CDT.

I gave Ohel CEO David Mandel two full business days to respond. He didn't. Click the screenshot below to read the questions Mandel did not answer.

Comments

[seymour]

they are not going to answer these question since it would put them in a bind whatever they say.

also you could have asked how many cases where reported to the beis din and how many or what percentage was then reported to the police (this we know is zero)

[Asher Lipner, Ph.D.]

I have been saying for the longest time that this is the question that Ohel can never answer. If they admit that they in fact do follow the rabbis (like Reb Dovid Cohen writes in the book on abuse put out by David Mandel and David Pelcovitz) then they are openly saying that they violate the law of the land from which they get most of their 50 million dollars a year budget.

If they deny it and say that they always go to the authorities right away without consulting a rabbi (along the lines of what Rabbi Cohen told the Asbury Park Press) then they are brazenly saying they do not follow the Gedolim of Agudath Israel or the Chassidic Rebbes in very serious matters, and they lose huge credibility in the frum community which they serve and from which much of their other funds are raised.

It is a question not unlike "when did you stop beating your wife." And it is a question that they should be asked every time they speak publicly.

They also give different advice to parents. Recently in Woodmere, because I warned them that press would be there, they told parents to go to the police.

But they had two public presentations in Lakewood very recently in which they said no such thing. And in Baltimore, where they were brought by the rabbis, even Dr. Pelcovitz, an expert on treating victims of abuse was not allowed to tell parents the right thing to do if their children are molested: to go to the authorities.

They are stuck between dong their job, which is to protect the children, and pleasing their bosses, which means protecting the rabbis and the community image.

And G-d help anyone who works for Ohel who doesn't play along with their inept attempt at a balancing act. Their jobs will not be any safer than the children they should be protecting.

[Team Asher]

Thanks, Asher, for having the courage to stand up and say what needs to be said, unlike your fellow JBAC board member, Pasik. What a disappointment he turned out to be. Looks like its time to not only call for an ousting of Dave, but Elliot as well.

[deremes is sheker]

why dont u have cbs ask those questions. its a little more difficult to beat around the bush with them. better yet have th health dept ask them these questions

[Loshon Hora]

I hate to tell you something Scotti, just because you have a blog [Albeit a popular one for the surfers who get some boring time during work hours,are sometimes bitter & all times curious to know what is going on in their back yard]that does not mean anyone owes you any answers.
For that matter I don't answer every email within 2 days, if I don't feel like answering I won't.
Why should some one who knows your are against him & his organization give you something you want.
If you want info go your sneaky way, but don't put your head in the lions mouth to hear the roar.

[Shmarya]

Please.

I asked Mandel two straightforward questions that should be easy for him to answer and I gave him two days to answer.

If you can't process why Mandel's failure to answer is a story, you could ask any of the dozens of journalists who read this blog.

Of course, tou don't really want an answer, now do you.

[ergo proxy]

Well, Loshon has a point, he is in NO OBLIGATION whatsoever to answer you anything. Like pleading the 5th in court?

Most likely than not, he does not consider you an authority of any kind for answering you questions of any kind, or maybe he thinks you are not a well credentialed reporter, or you are irrelevant for him. Or all of the above. Or pleading the 5th, as we say.

Your take Scott!

[Shmarya]

He has an absolute obligation to the public to answer those questions.

That he will not do so should warrant a state investigation. Hopefully, it will.

[ergo proxy]

He has an absolute obligation to the public to answer those questions?

Says who, you? Please. He is not obliged to answer YOU any questions.

State investigations, that will be another matter that I guess their lawyers will deal with, not you, not me.

But is not obliged to answer you at all, sorry for the bad news.

[itchiemayer]

Wiener was also asked straightforward questions that should have been easy to answer....I think we should be highly suspicious of both. You seem to have given Wiener a pass, but not Ohel. No?

[Shmarya]

He has an absolute obligation to the public to answer those questions?

Says who, you? Please. He is not obliged to answer YOU any questions.

Posted by: ergo proxy | June 02, 2011 at 08:37 PM

Wrong.

He's running a nonprofit that gets millions of dollars every year from the state and from the federal government.

He needs to clearly answer those questions – even if you can't grasp that.

[Shmarya]

Wiener was also asked straightforward questions that should have been easy to answer....I think we should be highly suspicious of both. You seem to have given Wiener a pass, but not Ohel. No?

Posted by: itchiemayer | June 02, 2011 at 08:39 PM

Please.

As I've noted several times already, so far the facts seem to support Weiner.

On the other hand, the facts do not support Ohel.

Itchie. past this very obvious point, if you cannot tell the difference between sending a lewd picture to what would be, if it's true, a willing recipient on one hand and ENDANGERING THE LIVES OF HUNDREDS OF CHILDREN on the other, if you even equate these two things, you need help.

Scoring a cheap right wing point at the expense of children is sick.

[ergo proxy]

No, you are mistaken nevertheless. He does not owe YOU a duty to answer YOU anything. Regardless on who gives him money or not, that does not matter to address YOUR questions. I don't think you are grasping my point at all. Notice how much I emphasize the pronoun YOU. Ask any lawyer. He does not owe YOU a DUTY to answer jack to YOU.

[Leah]

I don't quite know how to tell you this but if you would ask him on what date shavous falls out on he would not answer you either.

It is not *WHAT* you ask but the fact that it is *YOU* who is asking it that is at issue.

Sorry but it is that simple. Don't take it to heart and keep up the good work!

[Shmarya]

YOU (notice the pronoun) are wrong.

He must answer honest questions about policies that may violate state law.

Ohel gets the grants it gets and is granted its nonprofit status on the basis that it will uphold the law, not violate it.

If this is difficult for YOU to grasp – and I suspect it will be – ask any attorney who specializes in nonprofits.

[Shmarya]

I don't quite know how to tell you this but if you would ask him on what date shavous falls out on he would not answer you either.

It is not *WHAT* you ask but the fact that it is *YOU* who is asking it that is at issue.

Sorry but it is that simple. Don't take it to heart and keep up the good work!

Posted by: Leah | June 02, 2011 at 09:04 PM

Please.

He won't answer the Jewish Week's questions, either.

And you don't get to pick and choose.

He's taking state and federal money, and he has to be held accountable.

[ergo proxy]

He does not need to answer you, sorry but you remind me of the cases of people claiming legal standing based on being taxpayers alone to file certain lawsuits. As I said, to YOU he does not need to answer anything, you are just a mere blogger to him, or them. If that was the case, what are you waiting for to throw him in jail for contempt? You are just a private citizen asking questions the he or them do not consider relevant to answer to a private citizen. Your questions bear no authority over them, nor they have any duty to answer you, otherwise, sue them.

[ergo proxy]

In other words, you and your questions are totally irrelevant for them. I know you understand that but your ego can't grasp that.

[Proton Soup]

ergo is right. if they've done anything that obstructs the reporting laws, they are under no obligation to incriminate themselves.

[ergo proxy]

Furthermore Scott, quote a me a case that can contradicts my position. Case law that specifies a non profit organization is in the obligation or a duty to answer questions to private citizens. you do that, I will leave the matter alone, concede and call it a day. Fair?

[ergo proxy]

Since I don't have the whole night for this, you can send me an email quoting the case law I asked you to.

Remember, it's got to be a case that an authoritative court of the US says that a non profit organization is under an obligation to answer to private citizens questions that are potentially incriminating and the court found them in contempt to do so. Preferably from an appeals court or supreme court since most cases are routinely appealed, I would like to see the final word on them, if you don't mind.

ronininja@hotmail.com

I will check my spam just in case it gets filtered out.

Hasta la tuya. I am trying to play fair and square with you.

[Loshon Hora]

I think by now scott, you have been explained my above post. Besides being a blogger & keeping the strays like me out of trouble, by giving us a vent hole.
You are irelevant to most, and a hater of some, but nobody owes you an answer.
I am happy that Ohel keeps their business private, so should all institutions of their kind.
They have many private secrets on their files, about peoples private lives,and they don't have to answer to you.
Thank you for tonning down your insults and negativity in your responses, but you must fix your narcasism & Phsycopath traits, if at all possible.
Get one thing clear you make no difference to anyone & no body cares about you or what you have to say, no one is acountable to you or for that matter me.
No one owes you anything & don't expect anything from anyone.
You are a big boy on your own.
I must conclude that I thank you for the entertainment.

[shmuel]

Noone here is asking ohel to bare its secrets regarding the lives of its clients. That is confidential and must always remain so.
But ohel's policy regarding adhering to state law is certainly not confidential. Ohel talks out of both sides of its mouth, depending if they're in baltimore or woodmere. That's disgraceful and should be reported. The fact that ohel owes shmarya himself no answers misses his point: ohel owes the jewish public an answer to those questions. If the only way to get them to talk, or comply, is to bring suit, well then, I say, get on with it, whoever has standing. Or perhaps the DA can breath down ohel's neck. Also good. After all is said and done, remember this and you can never go wrong: ignore the agudath israel's dire@ctive on this. Its criminal and they should be prosecuted vigorously.

[ah-pee-chorus]

of course they dont have to answer shmarya ,legally speaking, on this issue. they are free to choose one or more of many options in making their position known . but what they CANNOT do is violate the law or instruct their staff to do so. and they cannot continue to talk out of both sides of their mouth , especially when one of those sides is putting children at risk. and just as they are free to ignore the email, shmarya is free to publicize their lack of response. and we are all free to contact the appropriate authorities with our suspicions that ohel is in fact unwilling to clearly instruct its staff to follow the reporting laws.

one thing is certain. it is an important and newsworthy event when they refuse to make it clear that they demand compliance with the law.

[No Light]

Keep up the good work, mainstream blogs and media are noticing now, and talking about the orthodox sexual abuse scandals. Ignore the likes of LH who thinks that mosers are more of a chillul hashem than kiddyfiddlers, only someone with something to hide would try to prevent sexual abuse being stamped down on HARD.

No decent, moral human being would EVER do anything to hamper efforts to detect and prevent the abuse of vulnerable people, women, children, those who are disabled in such a way that they can't speak out (and god knows there are plenty of those in the community, thanks to the ridiculous rate of consanguinity in families) or protect themselves. Anyone who even attempts to defend or justify rape or molestation is obviously someone who is invested in maintaining power over those weaker than themselves.

Right is on your side Shmarya, not the side of the welfare abusing, law breaking, rape-apologist scum who try and prevent you speaking out.

[Loshon Hora]

No light,
Loshon Hora [although anonymous, possible Asher remembers I told him the name I use in confedence]is a freind of Dr. Lipner & an advocate for abused children, but doesn't feel that the blogs including Rosenbergs [both of them], are anymore than self promoting haters,and no one helping children has to answer them.
They do have to be accountable to God, & the authorities who support them, unfortunatly FM isn't one of them, so they owe him nothing, and should spend their time on what they have to do [& are paid to do] & ignore him.
BTW you will not find any istitution , charity, hechsher, doctor, dentist or Rabbi who has never made a mistake or doesn't live with a few mistakes thinking that they are right.

[Leibel Schenkel]

Wouldn't it make more sense to have the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah askthese questions to Ohels CEO, considering that Agudas Yisroel is supposed to be the Chareidi umbrella organization. Considering the feelings that many members of the Chareid community have towards Mr. Rosenberg, I think that would be more effective than the confrontational message sent directly to Ohels CEO.

[steve]

Don't hold your breath waiting for an answer. Ohel's disgraceful record in regards to reporting child molesters to the police speaks for itself. Mandel answers to the Agudah and the Hasidic rebbes. The more we expose these criminals and their crimes, the sooner the truth will come out and heads will roll.

[What kind of goyishe name is Harold z"l?]

I emailed the honorable CEO of Ohel 2 days ago asking him whose weiner was sent in the picture. Still, no reply. I can only assume he has more to hide than the questions Shmarya asked him. He should take an example from the Skevere rebbe on the importance of good PR and answer the damn questions lest he find himself looking for new housing.

[Proton Soup]

there are some statements here:
http://www.ohelfamily.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=440&Itemid=338

[shmuel]

"Wouldn't it make more sense to have the Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah ask these questions to Ohels CEO..."
Why would they? According to Zweibel, they believe in not complying with the law of New York state. So why would they ever ask Mandel if he's complying with New York state?

[Michelle Nee]

To an outsider who reads up on press reports and who analyzes what has happened at Ohel for the last 25 years, something becomes very clear: Ohel is a professional cover-up organization that provides children to couples seeking to adopt and provides protection to child abusers. Their techniques are so brutal, ruthless and forceful that they are phenomenally successful. They receive cooperation from many official corners because they are dangerous. Children who have been mistreated by them are fairly easily brain-washed and then incorporated into the web of lies and abuses. Their frequent public statements of self-professed sainthood are examples of what anthropologists cite as rhetoric designed to portray the opposite of reality. Ohel and its enforcers should be investigated by authorities who cannot be bought off or threatened off -- but where in New York would you ever find such authorities? And the final irony is that children who are abused by Ohel and brain-washed by Ohel and then grow up and become abusers themselves will be given children by Ohel as rewards for their loyalty. So the beat goes on. Meanwhile, insidiously, the realities of what goes on there are causing untold harm in our culture and one day this will reach critical mass and it is not good for the Jews. Shame on them.