Had the civil case proceeded to trial, jurors would have
heard details from Weiss' sworn deposition by the family's attorney in
2012. A copy of the deposition obtained by the Times Union last year
showed Weiss admitted he became sexually aroused at different times with
both boys in a mikvah, a small pool used for spiritual purification. Court
papers show the victim's attorney, Richard Ancowitz, asked Weiss if the
physical contact between him and the boys was intentional or a result
of carelessness. "Um, that was intended," Weiss replied.
Rabbi Yaakov Weiss
The Albany Times Union reports:
…"He got a very good deal — just as he got in the criminal court," the father of the victim, who said he reluctantly agreed to the deal, told the Times Union late Tuesday.
[Rabbi Yaakov] Weiss, a suspended rabbi and the former director of Chabad of Colonie who is a married father of four young girls, pleaded guilty in 2010 to misdemeanor child endangerment charges. He admitted the contact with the boys when they were both 13 — and that he told one of the boys to "just say nothing happened" to his mother and police.
Weiss was sentenced to 60 days in jail.
The families of the victims sued Weiss, alleging sexual assault as well as defamation because Weiss had claimed the allegations against him were "100 percent untrue" and the result of a religious turf war. Weiss complained about the civil lawsuit to a rabbinical tribunal in Rockland County, which threatened to excommunicate the parents of the victims for taking the matter outside a religious setting.
One family dropped its suit against Weiss. The settlement keeps the other family from being excommunicated, according to people with knowledge of the case.
Had the civil case proceeded to trial, jurors would have heard details from Weiss' sworn deposition by the family's attorney in 2012. A copy of the deposition obtained by the Times Union last year showed Weiss admitted he became sexually aroused at different times with both boys in a mikvah, a small pool used for spiritual purification.
Court papers show the victim's attorney, Richard Ancowitz, asked Weiss if the physical contact between him and the boys was intentional or a result of carelessness.
"Um, that was intended," Weiss replied.
The deposition shows Weiss admitted he was lying when he said the allegations against him were untrue.
Weiss also said he was "very hopeful" the case would be settled outside of a court without going to trial and that he was "very surprised" the families of his victims did not want to settle it outside of a legal setting.…
For the beit din's threats to have any real meaning, Chabad had to cooperate with it, meaning that Chabad either openly or quietly stood with Weiss – not with the victims.
If Chabad had done the correct thing and announced that th beit din had no jurisdiction over it or over Albany, and had told the victims to proceed with the suit if they wanted to, this outcome would probably have been much different.
But Weiss is married to Sholom Rubashkin's daughter and comes from a large Chabad family, as well. The Rubashkins – despite a long ling of criminal convictions and civil judgements against various Rubashkin family members – are still leading members of the Chabad community worldwide and carry a disproportionate amount of clout as a result.
And in the end, it's only the true outlier that Chabad will support reporting to police or suing in a civil court.
Anyone else has protection.
[Hat Tip: Office of the Chief Rabbi.]