Some Victims’ Advocates Balk On More Meetings With Brooklyn DA On Child Sex Abuse

Some of the advocates for haredi victims of childhood sexual abuse have cancelled a scheduled meeting with Brooklyn’s District Attorney Charles Hynes, because they say Hynes has refused to implement reforms in dealing with cases of haredi child sexual abuse.

Charles Hynes, right, with an unidentified haredi rabbi in Brooklyn in 1994

Some Victims’ Advocates Balk On More Meetings With Brooklyn DA On Child Sex Abuse
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com

Some of the advocates for haredi victims of childhood sexual abuse have reportedly cancelled a scheduled meeting with Brooklyn’s District Attorney Charles Hynes, because they say Hynes has refused to implement reforms in dealing with cases of haredi child sexual abuse.

The advocates are upset because Hynes still refuses to release names of the alleged pedophiles in the haredi community who have been arrested and charged, even though he does so with all other pedophile arrests and has occasionally done so with haredi arrests, as well. He has also refused to initiate educational programs in yeshivas about child sexual abuse and – besides the arrest of three men in one very public incident of witness tampering and victim harassment – Hynes has still not taken any action against rabbis and other haredi community members who harass and intimidate victims.

Mark Appel, founder of Voice of Justice, and Asher Lipner, another activist, won’t have a second meeting with Hynes as a result.

Survivors for Justice, a prominent advocacy organization for haredi victims of child sexual abuse, declined to attend the first meeting and won't attend the second.

"We declined to participate at the first meeting and will continue this policy of not participating," Survivors for Justice president Ben Hirsch told FailedMessiah.com.

“Since he has to appease the rabbis in Brooklyn he should send all the Jewish cases to Staten Island,” Voice of Justice head Mark Appel told the Daily News, in what was a reference to the special prosecutor from Staten Island appointed to handle the inquiry into alleged criminal wrongdoing by Brooklyn’s powerful Democratic party leader Assemblyman Vito Lopez, who is politically close to Hynes.

However, Joel Engelman, who is leading the group of advocates meeting with Hynes, told the News he planned on attending further meetings.

The group first met with Hynes approximately two months ago.

That meeting was supposed to be secret, in large part because advocates did not want to be seen as endorsing Hynes in any way, and they did not want to be used by him to promote his reelection.

Yet Hynes’ office and a senior staffer from the New York Jewish Federation who is close to at least one senior member of Hynes’ staff allegedly leaked news of the meeting against the will of the advocates immediately after the meeting ended.

While other news organizations (including FailedMessiah.com) would not publish details of the meeting, the Forward immediately published news that the meeting took place. But it unethically removed the names – which it knew – of at least two advocates who attended. Both are seen by Hynes as being malleable and as potential allies, while others named by the Forward are not.

Hynes spokesman Jerry Schmetterer claimed that the followup meeting was only postponed due to scheduling conflicts.

“It's an ongoing process,” Schmetterer reportedly said. “We are all happy on this end to continue.”

A suggestion made by a victims’ advocate to include senior hasidic rabbis who defend alleged molesters and publicly vilifying victims was also reportedly rejected by Hynes.

Comments

[NoShow]

Some of the advocates for haredi victims of childhood sexual abuse have reportedly cancelled a scheduled meeting with Brooklyn’s District Attorney Charles Hynes, because they say Hynes has refused to implement reforms in dealing with cases of haredi child sexual abuse.

Just what was the purpose of the meeting? Which of the parties lose out by the meeting not taking place?

[Shragi Getzel]

Thanks for this story, original reporting by Shmarya! Keep it up.

[Abusers]

It starts all the way from the top, to the middlemen, passing it to the Shomrim utilizing them as stalkers, harassing all, from the victims, to the family and supporters for the victims, by illegally menacing stalking interfering with those aspiring for freedom of life and freedom of expression. Is that what the Shomrim are supported for, or is it taking the law into their own hands and abusing it at their whim as a goon squad and hooligans. Who will Shomer the Shomrim?

[Yerachmiel Lopin]

I believe the advocates went in good faith, albeit skeptically though I am not sure the decision was well advised. I do not believe that any of the participants in the effort intends to bargain away the vital interests of the advocacy community. If the DA leaked the meeting it was a breach of faith which augurs poorly for the effort. It shows that in spite of the heat he has gotten from the NY Times and Ed Koch among others, he is still not ready to step up to the plate and give his all to prosecuting frum molesters and those who cover up for them.

If someone else leaked it the participants need to figure who leaked and cut them out of the effort.

More importantly I believe the advocates need to be clear about their agenda and their boundaries. They need to articulateto the larger advocacy community what things are non-negotiable. If they can not do this or stick to it, they are in any event ill equipped to bargain effectively with the DA.

[SUPPORT 4 VOICES 4 JUSTICE]

It is futile to negotiate with the DA, since his position, essence and being in office is at the mercy of those that put him there by delivering the necessary votes, and you know who those are. He is merely a puppet, and if he knows what's good for him, he will adhere to them as long as it keeps him in place putting all Justice aside, and in return they will grease his wheels and the wheels of INJUSTICE. It is only a mockery that he openly protects the perpetrators at any cost, but tries to reason that holding the secrecy is for the protection of the victims, else the hoodlums will harass the victim and his family, never mind the family supporters. HEY... don't you think that WE also know what's good for us?

Uhmmmm... excuse me! Isn't that part and parcel and essence of HIS job to protect the VICTIMS, the victim's FAMILY, the family's BUSINESS, the family's ROOF over their heads, the WITNESSES and supporters of such, from the GOON SQUADS, free of HARASSMENTS, BULLYING, TAMPERING WITH EVIDENCE, OBSTRUCTION of JUSTICE to uphold the LAW equally for ALL?

Should tomorrows victim be YOUR child G-D forbid, and all things still remain EQUAL, wouldn't you want Justice to be upheld, feel free to PERSUE Justice and HAPPINESS, free of any Fear of RETRIBUTION, putting a halt to these CRIMINALS and cohorts? Such laws were the CHUKEI SDOM, victimizing the victim TWICE, once upon their ATTACK, and then making the victims COMPENSATE the ATTACKER, only just because THEY CAN.

Only airing it in the SUN will shame these MECHOKEKEI CHUKEI SDOM out of it. Tagidu BEGAT, tagidu beCHUTZOT ASHKELON, tagidu BECHOL HAOLAM KULO, put their feet up to the heat, vote with your feet, vote him out of Office, and only then PEACE shall reign.