Case of Samuel (Shmuel) Juravel - Savannah, GA (Formerly of Baltimore, MD)
click here for court documentSavannah man arrested on federal sex charges
Samuel Juravel is in federal custody in Birmingham, Ala.
By Megan Matteucci
912.652.0448
megan.matteucci@savannahnow.com
Savannah Morning News
March 1, 2006
Federal officers arrested a Savannah insurance salesman in Birmingham last week on charges he solicited sex from children.
Samuel Juravel, 29, is being held in Alabama on charges of using the U.S. mail and Internet to coerce and entice children for sexual purposes.
Agents from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the FBI arrested Juravel Feb. 21 at a Birmingham hotel after he arranged to have sex with a minor, according to the Postal Inspection Service.
Juravel is being held without bond by U.S. Marshals in Birmingham, according to William Kirkconnell, the FBI's supervisory senior resident agent in Savannah. The suspect will remain in federal custody until his trial in Alabama.
Federal officers began investigating Juravel on Jan. 31 after he responded to a Craigslist.org posting online for "rare and hard to find escort services," according to an affidavit filed in U.S. District Court in Savannah. Postal inspectors filed the affidavit for a search warrant.
An undercover officer had posted the ad.
In his response, Juravel requested 11-14-year-old boys for sex, along with child pornography DVDs, according to the affidavit.
Juravel and the officer e-mailed back and forth during the first week of February, and talked about different children, payment information and travel arrangements to Birmingham to meet the child, the affidavit said.
The e-mails were sent from Juravel's home computer, the affidavit says. The FBI filed a subpoena with Comcast for the e-mails and identity of the sender.
On Feb. 8, Juravel mailed the halves of three $100 bills from Savannah to a post office box in Birmingham and specified the child he'd selected, the affidavit says.
He asked for another boy to be placed "on standby," the affidavit says.
He arrived in Birmingham Feb. 21 to find officers waiting to arrest him, said Tony Robinson, a U.S. Postal Inspector in Alabama. On the same day, FBI agents, postal inspectors, Savannah-Chatham Metropolitan Police and U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement agents raided Juravel's 203 Groveland Circle home in Savannah's Oakdale neighborhood, Kirkconnell said. They were searching for computers, software and other items.
Juravel works for A J & C Garfunkel property and casualty insurance on Mall Boulevard. Samuel Juravel Insurance is also listed at the same address.
A phone message left for a manager at A J & C was not returned Wednesday.
posted by Jewish Survivors at Thursday, March 16, 2006
148 Comments:
Sexual abuse is a terrible crime and deserves to be punished to the full extent of the law. Nevertheless, I don't see what the benefit of writing this is.
He is currently locked up, without bail, so he is clearly not a threat to anyone at the moment. Why not let the trial go on before convicting him in public?
I am not condemning publishing someone's name when there are credible reports about their molestation, because that can sometimes stimulate people into coming forward, as we have seen recently. However, in this case, why cause his family the anguish of publicly reporting this? He will have his day in court without you publicizing it.
I know that when many people do not beleive/sypathize with survivors, there is a strong urge to show cases from credible sources, which highlight that frum people can be abusers. Still, I think in this case, you will do more harm than good to the cause and be perceived as simply malicious, since nothing can come of your publicizing it.
I urge you to reconsider and remove this post.
We have to remember that those that offend don't just do it once. Crimes against children are often done in silence and secrecy.
I wonder if there are any children out there that have been abused by Shmuel Juravel. If they are, I want to urge them to keep telling people, until someone listens and notify law enforcement officials.
I've heard so many stories about the way the rabbunim in Baltimore do what they can to cover up these sorts of allegations.
This is a wake up call, this will NO longer be tolerated.
One example of an attempted cover up in Baltimore is the case of Rabbi Eliezer Eisgrau.
http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/eisgru_eliezer.html
Also read this:
http://jewishsurvivors.blogspot.com/2006/03/will-where-what-when-publish-articles.html
THANK YOU for posting this. I was abused by this sick bastard about 14 tears ago as well as several other freinds that I know of personally were abused by this monster. We brought up the issue to the BALTIMORE RABBIS, but apparently moving him out of the state was a solution.
Don't take this posting off, I hope he gets what has been coming to him for years already. I hope that his kids were not abused by him and that they can lead a normal life.
And to any Rabbis who see this--Thanks for all your help!!NOT!!
Savannah is an incredibly close and incredibly CLOSED orthodox community. The family to which this fellow belonged and for whom he worked is an anchor in the community. Did they ask for this? Do they know what led to this? Undoubtedly not.
Is there anything to be gained by publicizing this? At this point, probably not. If you know orthodox Savannah, you know that everyone knows everything about everyone. It would be virtually impossible for someone like him to have abused children and it remain unknown. You see that he had to resort to the internet and go as far away as Birmingham, Alabama to commit the crime. Undoubtedy he probably spent time online at night cruising the net looking for some type of satisfaction when he came upon the ad on craigslist. He probably told everyone that he was going on a business trip. It's not uncommon for a small town firm to have interests out of town.
I'd wager that up until this point he had been getting his "kicks" off the net and that this was his first (and last) attempt at bringing his distorted fantasies to reality. In fact, he had the SENSE to know that if he had attempted this in Savannah, he would have most assuredly been discovered.
The Talmud says that one who has uncontrollable sexual lust should dress in black from head to foot and go to another town to satisfy his drives if indeed he is GOING to sin. The Talmud of course, is assuming that the person is going to engage in heterosexual relations with a consenting adult (be it prostitute or other) albeit for the sole purpose of promiscuity.
Mr. Juravel got the "out of town" part right. Unfortunately, he must have other more deeply seated issues and compulsions for which he will be held accountable and hopefully get help if possible. At least he will not be able to hurt anyone.
The family in Savannah deserves our collective sympathy. His wife and children (who are from a very proud and frum Savannah family) have a very difficult road ahead.
He doesn't look old enough to have abused anyone 14 years ago?
If he's 29 now, that would mean he molested you when he was 15.
You should call The Awareness Center and tell Vicki Polin about it. She's helped me with my case, I'm sure she would do the same for you.
who ever the idiot is thats getting all "frum" for this guys sake...shut the f@#% up! i personally knw that there were people in savanah that were warned of his behavior and did nothing about it. i personally know of rabbis in the baltimore community that did nothing about it. i personallty know his victims and their stories. and i personally know that his family has known about his behavior for years. therefore they are as resposible as he is for keeping their mouths shut! how many years and victims later is it?! and you want to express some convoluted sympathy for his "frum" family?! this is exactly what the jewish community needs to wake us up. this should be posted in every shul and every kosher restaruant! every single rabbi should be speaking about this!it is way past the time for us to be heard!
Kudos Yaacov. You are on the ball. This stuff is sick and more stories of innocent children in Savannah molested by Juravel surface by the day. Savannah is confronting the problem and the rest of the Jewish world should do the same. Juravel's problem started in Baltimore and that sick community is responsible for this monster. The authorities of the community covered Juravel's story up and pushed him out of the city. Baltimore must stop aiding child molesters. Offenders must be investigated. Eisgrau maybe the key in the Juravel case. Where there is smoke there is usually fire, and in Baltimore there is tons of smoke when the subject of child molestors arises. Eisgrau's daughter and several students have accused him of child molestation and he was the one responsible for driving Juravel from the city. Unfortunately, the innocent city of Savannah was victimized by Juravel and the rabbinical heirarchy of Baltimore.
Read about the Eisgrau case here: http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/Eisgrau_Eliezer.html
I was looking at some things that were stated here.
Shmuel is the son of Rabbi Moshe Juravel who works at the Torah Institute (TI) of Baltimore.
Rabbi Eliezer Eisgrau is the principal of TI.
Hillel Tendler is the Chairman of the Board.
Eliezer Eisgrau allegedly molested his daughter and a few other people.
Hillel Tendler is doing what he can to protect the "good names" of both of his brothers (aron and mordecai tendler).
Is TI a safe place for children?
There are a few important things to remember when contemplating the Juravel case. As some people have mentioned- Jurvel has a wife and kids. My heart goes out to them. They are victims as well. Next, the people sympathizing with Juravel are wrong in some respects, but there is the slightest bit of room to feel bad for Juravel. It seems that Juravel may have been a victim who became a predator. In that respect, people can feel bad for him. Some of the news flying around about Juravel suggests that when he was a victim at a young age, his problems were shoved under the carpet and not dealt with. Baltimore appears to be a haven for pedophiles and rabbis who protect them for fear of the stigma that would be associated with the Jewish community if this issue was dealt with out in the open. Consider the following: When referring to the Holocaust, many have espoused that we must remember what happened because those who forget are doomed to repeat the past. By Baltimore's Rabbis hearing about allegations within their community over the course of 30 years and not dealing with the problem, they are dooming their community. Furthermore, Baltimore's Rabbis are dooming many other Jewish communities. Baltimore has produced many fine Rabbis that they send to other communities. They are, however, also producing duds, and we accept these people into our communities without any knowledge of these sickos' past misdeeds. We must investigate from now on. Although pedophiles come from several other cities, they at least have started confronting the issue while Baltimore refuses to follow suit. Maybe we should start boycotting the future products of Baltimore in our communities (i.e. Baltimore rabbis from coming to our communities), not permanently, but until the rabbis in Baltimore get the message. There are many good people and products of Baltimore and this suggestion may sound drastic. Nevertheless, nothing else seems to get the Rabbis' attention. Maybe if we do not hire Rabbis from Ner Israel in our schools until this issue is properly dealt with in Baltimore, the Rabbis will be forced to do something. If not, people will stop going to Ner Israel, knowing that if they do they will have difficulty finding jobs. This will translate into lost monetary funds for the Ner Israel rabbis. Money is one of the few things that these guys understand. We must send a clear message: Do not harbor and protect child molesters! The church kept child molestation quiet for hundreds of years and look what happened to them. The longer Baltimore keeps this stuff quiet, the worse it will be when the story blows up. When it does, the effects could be disastrous. Imagine, a Jewish Baltimoron molesting a non-Jewish child, either in Baltimore or some other city. The non-Jewish community will not react kindly to this. Anti-Semitism could spread through the country at a rapid pace. We can't help it; people are quick to point the finger at Jews. The rest of the country will not be happy if they have to deal with our child molestation problem because we turned a blind eye. We can let them know that we have pedophiles also, but not that we released them into the world because we decided to look the other way.
Growing up in Baltimore meant that many of us were forced to shut our mouths to the horrors we saw.
Shmuel was a good kid who went off the derech. Automatically Rabbi Eisgrau got called in. Juravel was one of Eisgrau's "special projects".
I have no idea what made Shmuel go off the derech originally. I don't know if there were problems at home with his parents? My guess is there were.
I don't know if Rabbi Eisgrau did anything to Shmuel either, but I sure would like to know. I have friends who send their kids to TI. I've heard so many rumors that I didn't feel comfortable sending mine there. For the sake of our kids, would someone who is experienced in these sorts of things, please investigate.
Let us all do what we can to prevent another generation of child molesters.
To the person who posted the comment about Savanna being "a very close and very closed community where something like this couldn't possibly happen without people knowing."
I can not adequately express how stupid a comment this is. It is a comment of someone in very serious denial. I was abused by my father many times. I am also from a "proud very frum family from Balto." (yeah right!) My family says "We were always there and we know nothing happened to you. If something like that happened we would have known."
Yeah, I wish!
Do you think he would have molested me in front of you, you idiots?! Did someone stay awake all night in Juravel's house while his children and wife slept? How can people be so ignorant and stupid???!!!!
I sure hope the authorites are making sure Juravel's children were never molested. It sickens me to have to think about things like that, but it's the reality of the world.
This idea about much of the problem stemming from plaes like Ner Israel is not that out of wack. Eisgrau is a Ner Israel product. Many other accused child molestors came from Ner as well. I know that at least one of the accused Tendlers are Ner Israel products. If you check out the Molestor list on the Awareness Center trusted clergy link, endless molestors are associated with Ner Israel. Coincodence? Maybe Ner is filled with molestors who are molesting and creating a whole new generatin of molestors. Rabbis of Ner Israel must put an end to this NOW.
I am outraged that you all are passing a judgement so quickly. As some who knew and loved Sam very much i agree that he needs to be where he is in jail, but there is a biblical statemtn thats say least not judge or ye be juged as well. The acts he allegedly committed are horrfic and i praise G-D that he was stopped before anyone else could be effected. I think there are other victims that you are not mentioning his wife and his own thre children. For theyre sake i believe you need to be careful about the acusations that you are throwing in here these children are very young but they do go to school and you cant begin to know the torture they are going thru
I personally know of a few rabbis who came out of Ner Israel that are the most wonderful rabbis.
Let's not start saying all rabbis out of ner Israel will end up being sex offenders. Because that's NOT true.
Ner Israel does have a serious problem that has been going on for far too long. It's about time they hire an organization like The Awareness Center or JSAFE to start educating them, and also hire an organization recommended by rape victim advocates to investigate the many claims that keep coming out of the school.
It needs to be an outside organization NOT associated with the orthodox community. It needs to be unbiased.
Whoever keeps posting these sympathetic statements about their good friend Sam who is now in jail-Shut up! Read the comments above. Many people have written that they feel sorry for Juravel's wife and kids. Nobody would disagree that they are victims. One comment even states that Sam is a victim also. There is plenty of sympathy to go around, but the guy was caught red-handed and he is guilty. He has a documented past of problems in this area that Savannah was never even aware of. Regardless of whether Sam is your friend, he is guilty. He molested several children in Savannah and Baltimore people say that he molested there as well. You may have known Sam to be a great guy, but at the end of the day we must punish people for what they DO, not for what they FEEL. He is in jail and he deserves to be locked up for a long time and to receive serious mental counseling. Psychologists say that Sam's sickness is not one that can be cured, however, he can learn to control himself and he must. Our hearts go out to Sam's wife and kids and the Savannah community. If Sam's parents knew about the problem and did not really deal with it, then f&^$ them too.
Also, the posts about Ner do not suggest that all Ner people are bad, only that they have not dealt with the problem and they refuse to do so. That is bad! There is also a suggestion on how to get Ner's attention-boycott the school until they confront the problem. Anytime anyone tries to deal with this problem inside Ner or Baltimore, the head honchos at Ner and in the community silence the accusers. They have even ostracized accusers, threatened them, and driven them from the city. I suggest that people read what others have written before writing: "Boo Hoo!. I liked Sam so let's not forget about his family. I like Ner Rabbis so they are good." If you read the other posts instead of writing stupid garbage you would see that you have contributed nothing that others have not already written.
Also, stop being delusional. Your good ol boy Sam was leading a double life. His parents and teachers may bear some responsibility for his problems. Still, Sam is the one that acted when he could have chosen not to. He is the monster, not the people posting here who want to deal with this important issue. You must not have kids, or at least not any that Sam molested. I am sure that if Sam had molested your kids you would have an entirely different outlook. Finally, everyone PLEASE TALK TO YOUR CHILDREN AND FIND OUT IF THAY ARE VICTIMS. I spoke to children and discovered that many Savannah people's children were victims. Many of our children discussed their incident with Sam with their friends, but are afraid to discuss the incident with their own parents who they feel will not listen to them. That is a serious problem. We cannot be ashamed of our children having the stigma of being victims of this sick stuff. If you do not deal with the problem now, your kids could turn into the next Sam's. Sam's issues were dismissed and ignored when he was a child and look at him now. Molestation victims are at extremely high risk. Your children might act normal today, but one day something could snap inside them. Take them for counseling. Sam's friends knew him to be a great guy and good friend. Only now do we see what Sam was really thinking. Do you really know what your kids are thinking?
I felt a surge of American patriotism when I read the details of Juravel's arrest. No more blame the delusional, disturbed, troubled, 'off the derech' victim from a dysfunctional or disreputable family. He was busted by a Fibbie! aka non imaginary adult United States FBI agent without a personal bias or religious agenda just simply doing his/her job to remove another sleazy predator from society. In fact the original article doesn't mention his religious affiliation at all. Can't yell anti Semitism with that one. Darn! What are the yidden in Baltimore going to do?? No victim to discredit and alienate and no anti-Semitic plot to blame. It sounds like a community plight of OZ-itis. No matter how hard the frum yidden of Baltimore shut their eyes, click their heels and repeat over and over
"there are no pedophiles in our frum community"
"there are no pedophiles in our frum community"
"there are no pedophiles in our frum community” THE TRUTH CAN NO LONGER BE IGNORED and we're not in Kansas anymore. As a resident of said community, I only wish there was a way to notify a legendary super hero 'CaptainEmes' His/Her last heroic adventure was years ago when leaflets depicting another one of Baltimore's beloved molesters appeared on windshields during Rosh HaShana (I think). If only the caped crusader would come out of retirement and shower this entire denial infested community with copies of the article.
As for the anguish of his family, how do you know there is no underlying relief there? What is better temporary public shame that will fade with time or possible maybe even continuing incest by the victim deprived father . . . .The concern for the family is admirable but hushing this up WON'T help them, counseling, support and assisting in a possible relocation will.
I'm not sure where people get this from but Rabbi Eisgrau never learned in Ner Israel, his brother (who is a Rebbi there) did.
I grew up in baltimore, and I had the "privilige" to hang out in the same circles as Juravel. This guy touched so many kids my age (including myself). It;s about time he got outta the way.
shmuel didn't have the sense to go t Alabama as the other poster stated. The undercover police arranged that to make more charges....
Hey anonymous 3:08/3:09: who are you referring to when you say "This guy touched so many kids my age (including myself).": Eisgrau or Juravel?
In response to the person that wrote: "I'm not sure where people get this from but Rabbi Eisgrau never learned in Ner Israel, his brother (who is a Rebbi there) did." Regardless, of whether Eisgrau learned in Ner, the Rosh Yeshivos of Ner are the ones that protect him and who must put their foot down. Tendler did learn in Ner and unfortunately far too many pedophiles came from Ner. Ner must finally confront the problem, not hide from it.
I recently heard some disturbing news. Apparently, Juravel is not the first person accused of pedophilia to be driven from Baltimore that ended up in Savannah. The other alleged molestor is a Rabbi that no longer lives in Savannah. Because I barely knew the Rabbi, I will not publish his name. If anyone knows of the Rabbi to whom I am referring and has anymore info. about this, please share it with the rest of us. I am more disgusted by the day as I hear about more pedophiles that the Baltimore Rabbeim are aware of and shove on other Jewish communities. This is ridiculous.
To the person who wanted the owner of this blog to reconsider publicizing this case, please look at what you wrote. You listed several advantages to having this type of blog (i.e. encouraging other victims to come forward), but then wrote that this should not apply in this case. Why the double standard? It seems that this blog has encouraged other Juravel victims to come forward. Just read through all of the posts. This problem needs to be discussed and dealt with out in the open. Doing so might aid in getting communities such as Baltimore to finally deal with this problem.
If anyone was abused and needs an attorney you should contact Vicki Polin at The Awareness Center. She helped me find mine.
She also helped me find a good therapist.
Don't go to the Rabbeim in Baltimore. They don't care about people being molested or raped. They just care about creating the illusion of our community being safe. It's far from that. A few years ago there was a teen who burnt down Etz Chaim. There was also the teen who tried to run over another teen with his car. So they send people like Eisgrau to do magic with their special ways to silence survivors.
Anyone who speaks out against it is labled crazy and chased out of town.
I would also like to know who the blogger is refering to when he wrote, "This guy touched so many kids my age." Are you refering to Eisgrau? If you are PLEASE contact the awareness center, and/or the authorities about it and have your friends do it too. This man has access to children EVERY DAY. The authorities would love to do something about him if they just had enough survivors who are willing to break the silence. What this man did to you is not your shame, it is his. He is creating a new generation of abusers as we speak. Eisgrau must be kept away from children!
i tried to post earlier and it didnt take, maybe because i put my email in. so i will try again. my name is yacov and i live in baltimore. those of you who know me can figure out how to contact me. there is an effort underway to make some positive changes in this community. i'm not talking about sitting around the table and doing nothing but talking. been there done that.we are looking to get the pulpit rabbis to speak in public about sexual abuse, and provide resources to victims. we are under no illusions that this will be a slow, uphill battle. however , we need to start now. the community that has the power to silence has the same power to speak. one rabbi at a time will be brought around. it can and will happen if we do our footwork. the silence and cover ups need to be broken and shattered. also we need to keep our perpetrators right here where we can watch them and keep tabs on them.
i would very strongly encourage any victim to call the police. if we dont speak up then there is no punishable crime and our communities are not willing or capable YET to do anything about it. if you are a survivor of sexual assualt or molestation and you want to participate to YOUR LEVEL OF COMFORT AND ANONYMITY, please contact me.
I love you Yaakov, your the best! Are you working with The Awareness Center or something seperate?
yacov,
There is a group in Baltimore that's collecting a lot of money and doing nothing. Is that the group you are with? I can't think of the name of them, but know they are connected with the sidran foundation.
Yacov,
I do not know who you are or how to get in touch with you or else I would do so. I have posted several lengthy posts on this blog to spark more dialogue on the subject. So far, it seems to be working. Many continue to write in and we keep hearing from more victims. Blogs like this, however, are only part of the answer. Please let me know how to contact you so that I can help put an end to this garbage.
Why do you look at this sad situation and call Sam a monster. Granted he has ruined lives and families. But as a believer in the one above there is always a chance to do t'shuva. He has hit his low. THE PEOPLE WHO IGNORED HIS PROBLEMS SHOULD NOW BE RESPONSIBLE TO HELP HIM RECOVER SO HE CAN ASK PEOPLES FORGIVENESS AND EDUCATE OTHERS ON THE SICKNESS.
i am not affiliated or associated with any group or organization. the invitation to participate is open to anyone, including currently existing organizations. however, as i mentioned earlier, we can and will take positive action. we will not be stopped or legislated to. we are open to all suggestions and resources that will help us PEACEFULLY educated our rabbis and communities and provide safe have for victims to come forward and be heard.
I think there's more people in Baltimore we need to be careful of. Don't forget Yaakov "Ken" Menken who runs Torah.org
You can read about Menken on the following two sites:
http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/menken_yaakov.html
http://lukeford.net/profiles/profiles/yaakov_menken.htm
Menken is also being protected by the same individuals who tried to silenced the survivors of Eisgrau, and I'm sure attempted to silence the survivors of Juravel.
If I'm correct they all daven at the Glen Ave. shul
If you have any information on any of these cases call your local police dept. immediately
If you need help making a police report contact Vicki Polin at The Awareness Center. 443-857-5560
If you need help finding a therapist, attorney or anything else; The Awareness Center will do their best to help you find the resources you need.
The Awareness Center is made up of volunteers who have the education, training and experience needed in dealing with sexual abuse and sexual assault.
The Awareness Center is a nonprofit organization dedicated to meeting the needs of those who have been sexually victimized.
Who is yacov?
How do we know he's not just trying to set up people who are coming forward?
Is he connected to Rav Hopfer or Rav Heinemann?
Person who wants to think of Sam as a good boy who will do Teshuva-I don't think Sam is going to be able to educate anyone else on this sickness for quite some time. I think he needs a good 25 years of counseling himself (in jail) before he can start helping others. He maybe a victim of circumstance, but he is still a child molestor/pedophile. He will always have this urge and it will take him a long time to be able to control acting on it. It is one of many psychological conditions for which there is no cure. The saddest part about it is that Sam needs to be locked up in order to protect others. Consequently, the chance that he will ever leave jail in a state of mind to really be able to help others is minimal to none. Generally, people like Sam end up becoming other prisoners' "prison wives" and (without being too graphic) all that the position entails. Many pedophiles do not make it out of prison alive and those that do are so messed up that they are an even bigger menace to society than ever.
After looking at the court document denying Juravel bond, those who posted comments to the effect of Juravel only acting on his urges this once and going as far as Alabama to do so (as if this was at least better) can no longer defend the guy's actions. The court document states that aside from this incident Juravel posted ads for 8-13 year old children to pose for a children's catalogue. This shows the extent of Juravel's sickness and how determined he was to molest children. He also had an extensive collection of child pornography.
I am originally from Balto and have not lived there for many years. I personally know many of the Rabbis there and have nothing but great respect for them. I have no knowledge of any "cover-ups" etc., nor is there any reason for me to, and so I will reserve judgement. There is no question that crimes such as these must be dealt with in a way that protects innocent people, and is within the realm of Halachah - no easy task. Again, I am not suggesting answers - just pointing out that it is hard to judge without knowing all of the details of each individual case. I happen to have spent five years in Ner Yisrael, in the same age group as Mr. Juravel. I had no knowledge of any such activity, although we lived in the same dorm. I am not defending him - he appears to be unquestionably guilty. My issue is with whomever suggested that Ner Yisrael is some kind of "breeding ground" for molesters, etc. This is patent nonsense. I never witnessed or heard of any such sort of activity while I was there. The overwhelming likelihood is that N.I. has been around for so long (abt. 70 years - much longer than almost any other Orthodox Yeshivah) and has produced so many graduates that there is bound to be a higher number - but not disproportionately so - of molesters who are among their ranks. Undoubtedly there is a higher number of especially saintly (although there is no reason to think that this would be disproportionite either!) graduates as well. Let's not go making wild assumption and calling for Baltimore boycotts until we are in possesion of the facts!
If you are now an adult but were sexually abused by Shmuel Juravel, Rabbi Eliezer Eisgrau, Benyamin Yaakov Fleischman, Rabbi Yaakov Menken or anyone else in Baltimore and want to do something about it, call The Awareness Center at 443-857-5560. The Awareness Center will also help you in making a police report if your case is current. They can also offer you all sorts of other resources if you need them.
If you suspect your child is/was abused please contact your local police department (Baltimore PD, Pikesville PD, etc.
You can also contact The Baltimore Child Abuse Center. Dr. Mesa Baker is the medical director there. She is frum and lives in the community. She can also guide you. The phone number for the Baltimore Child Abuse Center is: 410-396-5165
Here is a list of the alleged and convicted sex offenders who have ties to Ner Israel of Baltimore:
1. The Case of the Students of Ner Israel Yeshiva in the 1950's
2. Case of Rabbi Ephraim Bryks
3. Case of Rabbi Eliezer Eisgrau
4. Case of Rabbi Benyamin Fleischman
5. 4. Case of Shmuel Jurvael (not verified yet)
6. Case of Rabbi Israel Kestenbaum
7. Case of Rabbi Yaakov "Ken" Menken
8. Case of Rabbi Aron Boruch Tendler
9. Case of Rabbi Mordecai Tendler
10. Case of Rabbi Matis Weinberg
does anyone have any idea when the actual case will go to trial?
ykyboy,
It's obvious you know very little about childhood sexual abuse. I beg of you to do a little research. Start learning about something other then what your rabbis have told you is ok to read.
I also feel very sorry for you that you have been taken in by Eleizer Eisgrau. It's understandable though. It's very difficult to believe that someone you know and care about could harm a child, especially his own daughter. Just look at what's happened with the case of Rabbi Mordecai Tendler or even the cover ups for years of Rabbi Matis Weinberg.
I was curious what sorts of research have you done on the symptomology of an abuse survivor or of a sexual predator? What is your educational background is? Do you have a law degree or a degree in mental health? If you do, do you specialize in working with children or offenders?
It's so easy to say "I can vouch for a beloved friend, teacher or rebbe." It's also so easy to believe what you have been told to say about someone. There have been several complaints about Rabbi Eisgrau over the years of being physically, emotionally abusive to students who don't comply with his wishes. There have also been several allegations of sexual abuse. Just ask around the community. Everyone knows about them.
Prior to posing anything else on this blog, do yourself a favor and read up on the symptomology of a survivor of childhood sexual abuse, also read up on sex offenders. It's obvious you need to be educated on the issues. You will not only be helping yourself, but also your community.
Regarding Eleizer Esgrau's daughter, she's is one of the most grounded and stable people I have ever met. The people who are "disturbed and paranoid" are the individuals who did what they could to discredit her and protect her father. Those people include Aviva Weisbord, Rabbi Heinemann and Rabbi Hopfer. Those are the individuals you desperately need to be educated.
I too know Rabbi Eisgrau's daughter. She is a normal, frum, stable, women leading a very normal life in spite of what she has been through. She suffered tremendously because of what her father, her family, and her community did to her. All of her symptoms that the Rabbonim in Balto picked on in order to label her "deranged" are typical of incest survivors. You are obviously very ignorant about the whole issue of abuse and are simply repeating what you have been told by people you trust(Rabbi's Heinemann and Hopfer??) Consider yourself lucky that you were not one of Eisgrau's victims. Many others are not so fortunate.
As someone with no relationship to any of the people involved in these cases, but simply as an outsider looking in, I find it very disturbing that someone could get on here and defend someone that is not only acused of sexual abuse by his own daughter, but also by several other people in his community. To blame the abuse, etc. on the victims - i.e. his daugther and others - only begs the question: is there something you are trying to hide as well?
Please, instead of continuing to post rambling nonsense on this website, go do your research, and seek the truth. It is very rare that people make up stories of sexual abuse - being labeled a sexual abuse victim is not exactly the most positive thing in the world.
When I was a young bochur studying in Yeshiva everyone used to tell a joke that has been around for at least 30 years:
Q: How do you seperate the men from the boys at Ner Yisroel?
A: With a crowbar.
I used to think "Hah hah, that is a funny joke. Well it is not funny anymore.
I want to bring this to everyone's attention because I see a connection between the Juravel case to a bigger problem in Baltimore. That is the power and control Ner Israel has on the frum community there. I know that Ner Israel has been protecting several alleged sex offenders including Rabbi Eliezer Eisgrau, Rabbi Ken Menken, and a few others.
I can't prove this, but I'm sure that Shmuel's past criminal sexual behavior was covered up by the same individuals who cover up everything else that happens in Baltimore.
There's something that's always bothered me about the case against Matis Weinberg and how it was covered up for years. It also bothers me that there is a link between the Tendler's and the Weinbergs that keeps getting ignored..
The first allegations of Matis Weinberg molesting anyone was back when he was a teenager, one of his victims was his own brother. His parents did what they could to hide these facts from the world, and sent him away. They were not unlike most parents who only wanted the best for their son, but I also wonder if their family name was more important to them, then protecting any potential future victims from being harmed?
In the 1980's, his parents helped Matis start his own Yeshiva in Santa Clara, CA. It was called Kerem. There were also sorts of rumors floating around regarding Matis's inappropriate behavior towards his staff and students. When the allegations broke of him being sexually inappropriate with boys and cult like behavior the yeshiva was shut down. An agreement was reached that he would NEVER teach again. But then back in 2003, he was involved with another yeshiva, and new allegations of sexual misconduct emerged. http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/weinberg_matis.html
Back in the 1980's when the allegations started circulating his father, Rabbi Shmuel Yaakov Weinberg got involved with Jews For Judaism (which is an anti-cult/countermissionary organization). For those of you know don't know, Yaakov Weinberg was a past Rosh Yeshiva of Ner Israel (Ner Israel is the same yeshiva where there was an alleged group of boys going around molesting other boys. It's the yeshiva where both Mordecai and Aron Tendler attended.)
If I remember correctly Tovia Singer and Tsvi "Harlan" Kilstein were both also involved with Jews for Judaism. First Kilstein was, and when he got in trouble with the FBI, he trained Tovia Singer to publicly replace him. Remember Tsvi Kilstein is very connected with the case of Mordecai Tendler. The Tendler's and the Weinbergs are related through a marriage. They are also very closely tied to each other through the administration of Ner Israel of Baltimore.
Around the same time that the case against Matis Weinberg broke, his mother Chana Weinberg got involved with an organization called "Chana" of Baltimore, which is a domestic violence hot line for frum women.
It just seemed very odd to me. Matis Weinberg's parents started volunteering time for organizations that dealt with cults and abuse of women at the same time their son was being accused of being a cult leader and abusing children. Was this for show? And also a way to deflect from the reality that their son was an alleged sex offender?
I know it's very hard to admit publicly that someone they loved and cared about had some serious problems. This is doubly true when your family can be seen as royalty. Unfortunately, I keep asking myself how many people would have been speared being abused by Matis Weinberg if they would have spoken out against his behavior and gotten him the help he needed?
Remember the quote by Vicki Polin "It takes a community to raise a sex offender." I think the case of Matis Weinberg, and also both Aron and Mordecai Tendler could be seen as an example of this. Let's not keep repeating history. Let's learn from it, and warn our communities.
Do me a favor, stop calling people who have been sexually abused "victims". While they were being abused they were "victims". Once the abuse stops they become "SURVIVORS".
Think about the power of words. Let's start empowering individuals who were raped as children, and help them on their healing journey. They are SURVIVORS.
I am NOT a victim. I am a SURVIVOR and proud of it. I don't huddle in a corner like a victim. I stand up strait and strong. I walk around with PRIDE.
According to an old article in the Jewish Press:
http://www.jewishpress.com/page.do/741/Torah_and_Telecom_at_IDT.html
"Rabbi Simcha Weinberg, former spiritual leader at Lincoln Square and Los Angeles`s main synagogue, and a vice president at IDT"
I just found the following dialog from a chat from a month ago regarding Simcha Weinberg when discussing the case of Mordecai Tendler. The title is "THINK before you write!!"
Just curious if it's a comedy routine or something?
http://www.haloscan.com/comments/joeaisa1121/113892593143408406/
i too was molested by juravel. im glad to see and hear he was finally caught. im even happier to see so many ppl on my side fighting for me and ppl like me. lets strike while the iron is hot.... if there are any survivors out there that has been molested by juravel or anyoneelse in the community, please speak up. i know yacov and he is a good man with a good head on his shoulders. i believe he is doing a great job getting the attention of the correct ppl who can wake up the rabbiem and actually produce a plan of action.
on another note i was wondering if there are any survivors or ppl who know survivors that have been molested by YISROEL SHAPIRO (the bar mitzvah teacher)... he has been a problem in the community for a long long time now at least 15 years that i know of. i was molested by him as well....and have had a hard time getting any help from the rabbiem or the community.
the more people the stronger our voice! i am open to your opinions and suggestions please!
has anyone heard any responce from juravel's wife, family, or in-laws? how are they holding up and what are their comments and reactions? i haven't heard any comments about this in baltimore yet.
If any of you think that this can not happen in the frum jewish community, you are crazy. Does anyone remember Baruch Lanner from NCSY who is/has served time for molestation? It is a problem for Jews and non-Jews alike. Baltimore does have a problem with Rabbis and coverups in the community. I have known about Shmuel for a while. While most of the things I heard about were second hand, i regret not saying anything about it. I know many people speculated for a while but said nothing. Shame on all of us. I know the family in Savannah is feeling many things: Shamed, Betrayed, Hatred, and emotions that they can not explain. HOWEVER, they are a strong family and they WILL get past this with everyone's help. We can not allow this to continue and must speak about it openly. I feel bad speaking anonymously but feel the need to because it is a hard situation to talk about openly. My thoughts and feelings go out to all of the SURVIVORS and wish you the best. COME FORWARD AND SPEAK OUT ABOUT IT!
Can someone please explain what FRUM means? For those of you wondering about his wife, I have not talked with her, but, I see her very often. Some days she looks very down and out and other days she seems ok. I'm sure that she is feeling many different emotions . I feel very bad for her and the children and her family also. They all seem like very nice people. There was always something "strange" about him as far as I'm concerned. I hope that if he did molest others, that they will come forward.
Frum = Observant, to put it simply.
It would be interesting to know how long the Rabbi & staff at the BB Jacob, in Savannah Ga.,knew about Shmuel's problem!!
hello family. great news (considering!) i had the first meeting with a particular rabbi who is with us in our vision to get the rabbis and educators of this community to break the silience and give voice to the survivors. as you know i have extended my invitation to anyone who feels they have resources
that can help and to any survivors that are willing to share thier experiences. our primary purpose is to break the taboo thru the rabbis and educators of this community and provide a voice, saftey and resources for the survivors. WE WILL NOT STRAY FROM OUR PRIMARY PORPOSE!
on another note, for the anonymous asking about shapiro...i am a survivor of shapiro. and to the poster questioning if i have connections to rabbi heinemoonie or rabbi hopfur. the answer is no, but wouldnt it awesome if we were able to wake them up too and have them speak out in public !?! my higher power is still bigger than any of them!
how can we reach you, Yaakov?
Everyone:
I know people whose children were touched by Juravel and who have been in contact with the FBI about this investigation. The FBI said that they had not been contacted until now and had no knowledge of the victims in Savannah or Baltimore. They have asked that people come forward and contact them if they have any information about Juravel molesting children. The FBI has evidence with regard to the Juravel's internet activities and planned meetings with children, but this was the first they had heard of other victims. The FBI said that the ability to convict Juravel for a lengthy period could be dependant on whether the victims come forward. I urge people with information to contact:
John H England, III or
Alice H Martin, US Attorney
US ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
205-244-2001
If the victims in this case come forward, we can finally accomplish something and Baltimore and all other communities will be forced to confront the problem. This unique opportunity has not been available to us until now. In the past, it was one's word against another. Here, Juravel was caught red-handed. There will be no escaping that this problem exists if we speak up now.
hello family! for those of you having a hard time reaching me send me an email to yacovsurvivor at yahoo dot com.
yacov
I highly recommend that those of you who read this blog watch the Rabbi Bryks video posted on this site. The video is sickening, but it must be seen. See what can happen to a community in denial and to the children who live with the horrible secret that they are victims b/c people do not deal with the problem. The results are far from pretty: suicide, and a 14 year old girl that locks herself in her closet to read Barney books. Think about your children.
Since all this has come out I have experienced a whole gamut of emotions; shock, disbelief, sadness, depression and lastly disgust. To know that people knew he was a menace to children and did not expose this, thereby allowing him access to children and being able to harm them.
In the original post someone named Shmuel wrote "why cause his family the anguish of publicly reporting this?" I thank G-d everyday that this came out. Now children questioned have revealed that they too had been molested by Shmuel. Do you think this has not caused these parents anguish?? But because of this exposure, these children will hopefully seek counseling, if need be.
I live in the wonderful community of Savannah, GA where when this was publicized, Shuls and schools talked openly about this kind of situation to both children and parents. This was not brushed under the rug. (Perhaps Baltimore can learn from our small community, expose the problem, the issues of molestation. Only then can the healing process begin and hopefully ensuring that this can never happen again.
The family here was more concerned about the children that might have been harmed. Yes, it caused us anguish and I say us because I am part of that family, but we, as adults, have a responsibility to protect innocent children from monsters such as him. Do not feel sorry for him saying that this was not the real Shmuel and that it was almost like he was two people. He is an animal, a wolf in sheep’s clothing that planned his attack well. He married a sweet and innocent young woman. She believed what he said after all he was her husband, the man she loved. He disguised himself well in the community, helping all kinds of organizations. But at the same time, cheating, stealing, and lying.
HE HAS STOLEN OUR INNOCENCE! BECAUSE OF HIM OUR LIVES WILL NEVER BE THE SAME!!!
I have lived in Savannah all of my life and was very close to S. Juravel. I did volunteer work with him, socialized with him and had a business relationship with him. To say these events were a shock to the Savannah community is a huge understatement.
No One, I repeat, No One had any idea this was going on.
It is true, Savannah is a very close community and yes everyone knows everyone else's business. This was a shock and it still is. The Jewish Community is still in shock and will be for a long time. In many ways, Shmuel was a real asset to the Savannah community. Shmuel leaves behind a wonderful family .....These events are truly a horrible tragedy.....
I believe it. And if anyone did know of it they didn't "know of it" and chose to look the other way.
Big mistake.
There is a fine line between suspicion and fact, and suspicion can ruin someone.
Can someone post a suggestion as to how to proceed when suspicion exists, but only suspicion?
How do you deal with the fact that your suspicion might potentially hurt or ruin someone who is possibly innocent? And how do you resolve that with the fact that you still have the suspicion?
"These are the times that test men's souls"
I moved to Savannah 2 1/2yrs.ago from Baltimore. Schmuel was so kind and nice to me. He was the first person I met from the Frum community. We met at Starbucks. He was dressed impressively. He was kind and told me he grew-up in Baltimore. Small world! He always said, "Hello" to me in schul and approached me for fun raisers. He certainly wasn't like the family, Garfunkels, he married into.
I am not a messenger from Hashem. I do not judge people. I treat people fairly and respectfully. In return, I hope they would treat me in this manner. In the 2 1/2yrs that I've been involved with this closely knit Orthodox community, I can say I feel uncomfortable with their behavior. The Garfunkel's are extremely wealthy! They have their own clan and many children and grandchildren. I have never been welcomed by them...plural. I never get a Good Shabbos from them in Schul. They've done some awful things to a Frum rabbi here in the Kollel a year ago. This rabbi was brilliant, kind, a father of three and wouldn't harm an ant. He and his family were dismissed from the Kollel. This Rav. just had his third baby. His wife had a wonderful position at the local university. So what! Out. I went to his goodbye party given by his Torah adult students. Not a dry eye. Not a Garfunkel in sight.
Schmuel always had a smile on his beautiful face and said, "Good Shabbos" to me. Not like The Clan.
I sent his third son a donation when he was born. I was not invited to the Bris. So what. I was the mensch.
This Gyvedicka family of wealth needs to learn how to be respectful of "others". When new people come into the Orthodox community, they need to welcome them into their houses. Their arrogance is appauling!
Why has this perversion been brought into this family? Are there lessons to be learned? IS Hashem punishing them for their past behaviors?
Although I do not know of any child who has been a victim of Schmuel, my heart goes out to all.
I look at the Garfunkels in shul and I say to myself...how do you walk around with such haughtiness.
Hasn't this humbled you?
Say,"Good Shabbos" . Reach out to the Newcomers in this shul. We can read your name on all the shopping centers. So What! You have now been afflicted! Perhaps you should apologize to the rabbi you removed from this community!
They believe they run the town, and that's the bottom line.
This should be a real wake up call for them that they are not above anything.
Truthfully though, it's the rabbi who runs the town and the family are his chassidim.
They even try to physically resemble him. Odd.
But enough of this...get back to the issue of protecting children and how to deal appropriately and justly with suspicions vs. fact and not harming someone innocent while not allowing someone truly guilty to go free.
Seems like there are lot of disgruntled ex-Savannah residents and even some current ones out there.
Look, the community is doomed anyway. They have something close to 0% growth in the Jewish community. The biggest and nicest facility built in the Jewish community right next to the orthodox shul is....
a nursing home.
Maybe they should build a monorail from the nursing home to the Bonaventure cemetary by way of "Hubie's" Funeral home (for the good ole'Hevrah kadisha-which must be the most active branch of the shul) to faciliate day of death burial.
Enough bashing. Back to protecting.
I am outraged by what I just read! How dare you turn this into something about YOU! Shmuel gets accolades for saying "Good Shabbos"? The Garfunkel's (because of their success in business which they have worked VERY HARD for and you are clearly jealous of) are shunned because they have not invited you into their home? Have you lost your mind? This monster who you showed great respect and admiration for in your "comment" has molested children, solicited sex from minors, stolen, cheated, and took innocence away from so many here in Savannah and you are stating the "Garfunkel's "might" have deserved this because they did not say hello or Good Shabbos to you? I am not frum. I am a Jewish mother of two children in this community who happens to know ALL of the Garfunkel's. I came into this community over a decade ago and ALL of them, regardless of our "level" of Judaism and our checking account, invited my family into their homes, welcomed us into this community with open arms, and NEVER one time made any of us feel less than important than they were. You are using the "Family" who was not asked to stay in Savannah as your defense and your ammunition against this family who has been devastated and hurt by Shmuel? I knew the "FAMILY" who did not have their contract renewed. I knew them well. Yes, they were wonderful people who I ADORED and can honestly say I miss terribly. However, I do not see where ANY of this has any bearing on what has happened to our community. If you are a "G-d Fearing" FRUM person in MY community and you talk with such anger and malice, I, too, have probably been one of the people who have not said Good Shabbos to you either. I bet there is a good reason also! Shame on you for using your hurt and anger to stab blame at a family who has been a part of this community for longer than you have been on earth.(clearly obvious by your immature words and actions) They are known by EVERYONE here and I can assure you, they are respected and loved by most. The Rabbi I listen to in Shul and the Rabbi who has been my spiritual leader for the past eleven years would call what you did the biggest and most offensive illustration of what NO G- D Fearing person would ever do in this type of situation. Not only are you an embarassment to our community but also to our Shul. Shame on you for letting emotions YOU FEEL about a family be stated so rudely and disrespectfully that you defended Shmuel for his nice clothes, his manner, his "warmth" without for one second thinking that you put down Janie's entire family without any thought or consideration for what she might really need right now! OUR SUPPORT! As I said, I am not Frum, Orthodox, or "religious" in your eyes but I am humbled by the mere fact that I have defended this beautiful and wonderful family who were the FIRST to welcome me into their world at the BBJ. May Hashem forgive you for your words and give you the strength to apologize for what you have done with your words on the site. I hope if I ever see you and recognize you from just your words that I can say this to your face one day.
To ALL OF THE GARFUNKEL'S.....my family adores, loves, respects, and hurts for you right now and we WILL continue to sing your praises, defend you all, and make sure people like this "BLOGGING MORON" do not continue to sabatoge your name in this community. WE LOVE YOU and are so sorry for what has happened to all of you. I promised I would not blog here. I told myself I would just read and listen. I just refuse to sit back and read what "you" wrote and not make "YOU" realize that you sounded like a complete moron with no real heart. TO EVERYONE who reads what was written and is not from here or does not have the priviledge to know the Garfunkel's, when you read the words written as a personal attack against them, keep in mind there is no validity at all to what was stated. Having personal and financial success, deciding who you have into your home for a Shabbos meal, and what goodbye party one attends, should not be a reason for "revenge" on the hearts and souls of a fragile and hurting group of people. Our thoughts and prayers are with everyone in this community who has been touched by this tragedy!
Poster above:
You are sick and a complete freak. The Garfunkels are very nice people. It seems that you are stricken by jealousy. Look what you are doing. You are praising a sick child molester and criticizing the innocent family he infiltrated. Who are you to judge others? You are not G-d and have no right to claim that Shmuel was retribution for what you feel is another's misdeeds. If Shmuel was so great, why was he looking at kiddie porn and trying to have sex with 11 year old boys? Why was he molesting children in Savannah? Don't use this forum as your outlet for embarrassing people that you do not like b/c they do not know you. Guess what? I know who you are. You felt that you had to mention the family's name to cause them more embarrassment. Should I write your name? Also, learn how to spell; you are a reading specialist. Maybe kids would know how to read if you knew how to spell correctly.
Someone wrote: "No One, I repeat, No One had any idea this was going on." Apparently, some people did have an idea that this was going on. Before we may have thought that Shmuel was an "asset" to Savannah, but now, in retrospect, he is an abomination.
I don't think i would like you either! You are saying that the Garfunkels deserved this? Who are you? G-d? Since you know so much, did all the kids who he molested deserve this too? What had they done wrong?
Not everyone gets along with everyone - that is just how the world works. Do you have such low self esteem that you need everyone to run over to you and make a bid to do that you are in the room? PLEASE! Grow up! Don't the Garfunkels basically support the community you live in? Don't you think they deserve just a smidgen of hakaros hatov?
I thought this was a sight for survivors of sexual violence not a sight for acusations, slander and outright lies. Perhaps your writers should stick to the subject at hand, molestation. Don't give false information concerning families that are already under enoough stress just dealing with the actual facts. Don't let them have to deal with your lies and assumptions or your personal grievances.
Despicable is the word that comes to my mind after reading the previous "blog".....this is not a forum for hate spewing loshon hara for someone's personal vendetta or alleged slight. The Garfunkel family may not be perfect but have done more for this community to keep judaism not only alive but flourishing. You obviously haven't lived here long enough to realize that 1 family does not have the power to remove someone from a position in the kollel. There are many and varied reasons for the termination of a kollel rabbi which may not be made common knowledge. Look within yourself for a personality problem or reason for the alleged "snub."
I don't believe that they are "extremely wealthy", but they are well off by Savannah Jewish standards.
Their are some people in the community, like doctors, etc. who qualify as EXTREMELY WEALTHY, but I don't think it's them.
It doesn't take millions to live like a king in Savannah.
Savannah Resident-
You are correct in that no one, even if they are perceived by some as arrogant, is deservant of such a tragedy.
The Garfunkel family may be nice, kind, generous, well-meaning, and pillars of the community- but they still-no matter what you believe or know-exert a tremendous amount of control over the community. I have no doubt that if they voiced an opinion to the shul or the school that personnel changes were needed, that such changes would occur.
The rabbi-while a great leader, orator and scholar, also exercises more control than the typical shul rabbi does in other communities. His allies and friends are the biggest "machers" in the BBJ and they "love the rabbi".
The community under Rabbi Rosenberg, A"H bore little resemblence to the Savannah of the last 15-20 years with all it's black hats, oy oy oy, etc.
And Mrs. Rosenberg told me that years ago.
What you have in Savannah today is a direct result of the rabbi, the Garfunkels and a handful of others who have taken the "right" side of the road. You do have a day school, a kollel, a big (but empty on Shabbos) shul and those are all good things, no question about it.
There was always a silent agenda to create a "yeshivishe" utopia between Abercorn, Derenne and Eisenhower. And apparently, you've been succesful.
And now you have sexual abuse. If Savannah has always considered itself to be a great "Frum" community- well then congratulations.
You now share the ills of communities like NY, Chicago, Baltimore, and others.
I truly hope that the community continues and grows stronger from this horrific experience.
March 26th post. You're a MORON!! This is about Shmuel Juravel, not the Garfunkels. The Garfunkels are a fine family. Sounds like you are jealous of their success and community leadership. GO BACK TO BALTIMORE. My son was touched inappropriately by Shmuel. The Garfunkels had nothing to do with it and have no responsibility for his actions. It shouldn't take long to figure out who you are. Shame on you.
I posted this before, but I do not think it went through. You are a sick person for writing the things you wrote. You are obviously jealous of the Garfunkel family. You should not use this blog as your anonymous forum for getting even with a family that may not even know who you are. I do know who you are. Unfortunately, you are older than me and you are certainly old enough to know better. You are supposed to be a reading specialist. Perhaps you should learn how to spell. That may enable those you teach to have an easier time reading.
Savannahians-
I think the best thing you could do (and I know I'm going to do it) is get back to the issue of which we are all guilty of neglecting- namely-protecting kids and others from abuse while not giving in to the potential hysteria of suspecting everyone.
The comments pro, against, or even just neutral observations about the Garfunkel family are just going to have people staring at each other next Shabbos wondering whether it was this person or that person who wrote this blog or that blog.
Just stop it and get back to living.
And to the MODERATOR- Maybe you should just stop publishing comments that are as off topic as all these Savannah is great, the Garfunkels are great/stink/tzaddikim/r'shaim
seem to be and refocus the blog.
Now someone is bashing our Rabbi and our city of Savannah. "Our community is doomed anyway?" We have 3 Synagogues, a Jewish Day School, A beautiful Jewish Community Center, A Jewish Day Camp, a Jewish Nursing Home (which is nice and pretty because it is a building that is not greater than 50 years old), and TWO Hebrew Schools for children not attending the day school. Our Jewish community is far from doomed as you stated. We are now talking about what denotes wealth and who has more money? Have we not gotten off the path here? A monster was caught trying to have sex with a minor. He was a part of our community and now, thank G-d is gone forever from here.
What community does not have any disgruntled members or unhappy ones who choose to leave? As I sit and read all of this I am so upset that any of you are members of my tribe. This is not about money, power, liking or not liking a Rabbi and his community. This is about molestation, pediphilia, and secrecy. Making jokes about a monorail to a place where I have family members buried, criticizing those who take care of our deceased as an act of love and doing mitzvah's, and pointing fingers at a family who are innocent in all of this, just proves once again that people like to hear themselves talk regardless of how ignorant they sound to the rest of us. G-d help all of you who have chosen to use this blog as a way of crying "poor me" instead of what it is really here for; to help those abused or who have been close to an abuser.
Before any of you take the time to criticize my community again, throw punches at my Synagogue, make jokes about monorails and people wanting to immulate a man WE all respect, stop and think about the words you might put down that can never be taken back.
Shmuel Juravel is a sick human being who took all of us for a ride. His "beautiful face" as you described so carelessly was the face that children see in their night mares when they recall the molestation incurred on them by this "nicely dressed" monster.
Dear all,
If you are going to write anything on here, you should at least have the guts to use your name. I also told the family that I would not be posting on this blog. However, when you personally attack the Garfunkels, whom I consider my family, then I will retaliate back. The Garfunkels may have money and a large extended family, but none of you count their money. Dont make assumptions either way (if they are rich or poor). THat is not your job. Maybe they just overlooked inviting you into their home. I know from personal experiences growing up with them that they would take anyone in to their house. They with the other Garfunkels and the Slatuses helped my family beyond words. I know they will always be there for me and I will always be there for them. But how dare you attack the family by playing G-d and saying you are not judging them when surely you are. THis website is not intended for Garfunkel bashing, but to speak up against an incident that happened here and continues to happen all around in the frum community and others. And while I am writing, the growth rate is not rising in the Jewish community because a lot of you are not allowing or sending your kids away from the community in the hopes that they will move on to bigger and better things. Savannah is a great place to live and already has grown with the addition of myself and my brother Andy as well as the two Rabhan brothers. We are hoping that the young people that we grew up with can come back to allow this city to flourish and grow like the people who started SHDS and RDS had hoped for, otherwise what was the point? The Garfunkels are pillars in this community and they will not be knocked down by your unkind words, attacks, and any other obstacle that have befallen them. I hope you all learn from this blog and use it the correct way and stop the loshon harah! That is what kills a community most of all! (Mrs. Dolgoff, if you are reading this, DO NOT CORRECT MY GRAMMAR!)
An open forum such as this, is not only an example of our opportunities for free speech (that we can be thankful for), but unfortunately, provides a forum for crazies to air what processes in their troubled minds.
The woman who wrote the offensive and deranged comments is known to be mentally unstable and the few that know her would "chalk it up" to her own sad situation and very obviously, not take it seriously; however, it is a shame that those not familiar with the situation can read the venemous words.
All of us reading the "rant" who are aware of the situation...no explanation is needed...we all hope and pray you, like Shmuel, can somehow get the help you need and find some meaning to your life. Those of you unfamiliar with the situation should consider the fact that you can't take everything you read seriously (especially from an unnamed source)and should consider there is NO merit to some of what you might read. I assure you that is the case with regards to the "attack" on families, leaders and the Savannah community.
Good words Joey. As someone who spent 1992-1995 living in and working for the Jewish community of Savannah, I cannot understand why people are attacking and criticizing the victims, namely the community and Mishpachas Garfunkel.
I'm not sure what the goal of this blog is since the tragic incident happened and is apparently being dealt with. Bashing the Rabbi, the shul, the community is pointless. What did they do to facilitate any of this? Nothing whatsoever. Savannah is a nice city with nice people (if you can get used to the roaches).
If you have words to comfort the Garfunkels, call them-don't leave them here.
Personally, I wouldn't know what to say. It has been too many years and frankly, if someone had died, it would be easier to formulate words of consolation. I am sure though, that the community is pulling together around the Garfunkels and helping them. That's the way Savannah was, is, and always will be. A good example for the rest of Klal Yisrael. Chazak v'ematz!
How can it be a open Savavannnah? Everyone did did brush it under the rug.
Some knew about it before tyhe paper . The FBI searched the home, family went to him, the rabbi was askked The school, and the rabbi did not talk about it, nthing was said.. When the news hit the paper then they spoke finaly. becuse the paper the school and the rabbi did somethin. not a good idea to keeep it quiet Makes me ask just how long did someone know? just a kid who thougt he was friendlie
If some people did know about actual incidents and did not speak up, then that is a problem. Is that true? Who knew other than the victims who were afraid to say anything?
Next, victims, I understand that this whole incident has been extremely traumatic, but will you speak up now? Some people will continue to minimize the depth of the problem unless you tell everyone "this happened to me." Sorry, but if you read this forum you will see that some people are still in denial to one degree or the next and the victims are the only ones that can refute these claims.
Some of you parents who are trying to minimize the extent of what happened to your children, STOP. You do not know what problems you are setting your children up for later in life, but they could be BIG. Watch the Rabbi Bryks video posted on this site. It is disturbing, but you need to know. Shmuel was definitely a victim when he was younger, and now he is a predator. Get your children counseling. Everyone will say to themselves "Not my child." Wrong. Your children have more of a chance of becoming predators later in their lives than anyone if they don't get the right help. Talking about it is only part of the solution. DO SOMETHING. The victims in Savannah know who Shmuel's other victims are, at least some of them. Many of you are still in denial.
Also, in response to Rabbi JF, who used to live in Savannah, there is a purpose to this forum. Although we are sympathetic to the family in Savannah, that is not the only thing that needs to be discussed. We have to put an end to the cover-ups. We have to make Baltimore start confronting their problem because now it is our problem. Why did Shmuel's parents ignore or minimize his problem? Why do the Baltimore Rabbis send their pedophiles to other communities thinking that this solves the problem?
Finally, there is a Baltimore Rabbi who is very sick (health-wise). This Rabbi was sent to Savannah for a few years where he taught many children. Several of this Rabbi's former students in Baltimore claim that he molested them. Prepare, Savannah. This one could come back to haunt you as well.
"Kid who just thought Shmuel was friendly",
What do you know that you are not sharing with us? Who knew? Elaborate. We can all look back now and many of us will see certain signs were there, but that does not not necessarily mean that people knew. Please tell us what people knew because now we must deal with this problem. It may have been a little odd that Shmuel took little kids to Charleston every Sunday along with his own children. It also may have seemed a little odd that Shmuel used to sit on the benches of the BBJ surrounded by little children, discussing their love lives with them like he was one of the kids. In retrospect, he must have felt like a kid in a candy store. Sick! But seeing these things at the time probably did not make people think that he was a child molestor. So, if you know that people, did, in fact, know about it, then that is a big deal. I'm not just talking about suspicion, but rather an actual complaint by some child to an adult.
Everyone else, listen because our kids are speaking up on this forum too.
Those of you who keep saying that Savannah dealt with this problem the right way and other communities can learn from us, that is not true. Not yet. We have not fully dealt with the problem. Do not talk about this as if it is over. Our work is far from over. We must help the victims get help.
Ultimately, Savannah could become the great Savannah that parents envisioned fot their children. But that will depend upon how we deal with this issue. We can not just sweep it under the carpet.
caroline-
no one asked you to move to our lovely community. it is thriving. we have more people attending synogogue now more than ever, and since its immense size it looks like very few are there. if you dont like the yeshivishness of it, why dont you choose on of the other lovely synogogues and see how nicely they treat you. there might even be more scnadal for you to write about!
Everyone:
Lets not start attacking people here for their opinions. The person who wrote the nasty things about the Garfunkels was wrong, but attacking her by name does not make us better. We do ask people to move to our community all of the time. Friends in other cities always tell me about the ads they see about our wonderful community. Sometimes you attract some weirdos as well. That comes with the territory and we cannot drive all of these people out of the city just b/c we are appauled by their opinions. Again, someone wrote some horrible things, but we should not attack them. This blog is about molestation, pedophiles and victims. Lets stick to that.
Also, I do not think that the person who wrote the nasty things about the Garfunkels is the same person that wrote about how our community is doomed so do not attribute those words to the same person. For one thing, the person who made fun of our city spells a heck of alot better than the one who attacked the Garfunkels. Obviously, some people don't like our city or our shul. It happens. I love the city and many others do as well.
Finally, I think the last poster is confusing 2 scandals. The scandal here is not making fun of the community or even one of our families. There is a scandal. It is the pedophile who infiltrated our community; an alleged cover-up by people who knew about it; and Baltimore-the source of the problem.
Parents who know that their children were molested by Shmuel must contact the local FBI office to provide them with that information.
Even if Shmuel only showed your children pornography (child or otherwise, such as Playboy magazine) you should still contact the Savannah FBI office because this would help to establish not only a pattern of abuse, but a pattern of his attempts to ingratiate himself to those children, thus weakening their ability to resist his later advances.
I think the young child was talking about the time that it took the paper to print the article from when the FBI raided the house. That was 10 days. Obviously some family knew at the point of the FBI and maybe they were trying to sort things out......
Look what rambling by some crazy person did. A whole day has gone by with no person focusing on anything other than how great the Savannah community is. Savannah is great. Now lets get back to the tasks at hand: Juravel,pedophilia, Baltimore pedophiles etc. Come on Savannahians and BaltiMorons.
for more of an education on what happened in this case and what is going on check out the Dateline specials on child predator stings. this is what happened in this case. Thank G-d. http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/11152602/
This site posted an article-"What are the chances that the new paper - Orthodox Jewish Times will publish articles about sexual abuse in Baltimore?"
Not likely! The
Baltimore community has refused to confront this problem for decades. It is sad and pathetic. I guess that the Baltimore community would fold if Baltimore Rabbis could not be pedophiles.
Oh sweet savannah how Beautiful and sweet are you.
Continue in your selfless acts of kindness and your growth. Hashem loves you. keep strong Our love and prayers are with you.
Am yisrael Chai.
Caro "word that sounds like mine". There is no reason to keep mocking Savannah. you have said your piece. Now leave it alone. You are only proving peoples points that you are missing some screws. You are the only person that would have ended that mocking rant with "Am Yisroel Chai."
Certain families probably could remove a kollel family. Many people probably agree with what the wacko said about removing a kollel rabbi-whether it is true or not true- others said or thought the same. That is not the point. This is not the forum for these conversations. The family that was attacked is a good family that has done a tremendous amount for the Jewish community of Savannah. Without the family the frum Jewish community would probably cease to exist whether or not anyone wants to admit it. People will not always agree with everyone else's opinions and policies. Still, when a family contributes so much to a community they will have a certain amount of influence. But that goes with the territiory. They contribute alot. So why shouldn't they have a large say in what happens in the community. If you don't like it, find a new community or start contributing to this community. If you make enough of a contribution you may be able to have more influence over what happens in the community.
I have a question? When you are "FRUM" and you voluntarily send your young, impressionable, hormonal, and immature boys off to a Yeshiva, do you ever consider finding out who might be teaching them while they are there? Are there background checks? Does everyone assume if they are Rabbi's that they are "good"? As I learned of all of this in regards to Mr. Juravel, I have been consumed with this blog. I do not even live in Savannah or Baltimore. I heard of this case from a friend of a friend and was told about this site.
I am reding all of these stories written by these children who are relentless in trying to get someone to hear their voice. Why in the world would any religious or non-religious parent not want to do whatever they could to close down a school if this problem has ocurred for so long? If EVERYONE knows there is abuse going on then why are people in Savannah even sending their young boys or girls there (BALTIMORE)? I have heard there is no Jewish High School in Savannah. I also know that these young children who are sent away do not always want to go. Why not find the safest place for them? I get the whole Jewish education thing. I get that these Orthodox families do not know any other way. BUT...as a young adult who is reading all of these horrible stories I cannot help but wonder if all these reActions are DUE TO the guilt these parents feel for not being able to taLK TO their children. Davening, learning, studying Torah, and being a "good jew" can sometimes keep your head in the sand. There are no televisions, no computers sometimes, no REAL social situations, and basically these children and their families are sheltered. i WOULD ASSUME MOST OF THESE CHILDREN ARE AFRAID TO TALK TO THEIR PARENTS. THat is a shame! If anyone saw Dateline and their awesome coverage of predators I II and III they would have been better prepared for what is out there. Parents, regardless of your religious committments, BE smart. Check out all the teachers/Rabbi's who are alone with your children. Frum does not mean perfect.
If your child was touched by Mr. Juravel or anyone else and all you have is their word....believe them. Most young children would not want to make up that they were abused. It is not exactly a great lable one would like to have. It does not matter anymore if Savannah is a nice place or if the family hurt by all of this knew something before the public. G-d help anyone who knew about this and did not speak up. If their Rabbi had any inkling of any of this why would he have allowed ANY children to be around this man? Sorry guys, I do not buy that the Savannians knew about this. For the children who have been hiding and are coming forward....you have to tell the FBI! Parents...do not be ashamed...ask for help. Let people know what happened so the children who have also been abused by Mr. Juravel can have the courage to step up as well.
RELIGIOUS does not mean anything other than just another human being. He or she just dresses and eats differently. They are still just humans who hurt like the rest of us. However, they can be the worst animals of all as they carry around this power which comes with being "religious!" If it can happen in the Catholic church it can happen to us as well. It is a fact that abused children typically become the abusers. Argue this fact if you will. However, therapy once or twice and moving forward is never going to make this better. Boys who trusted this monster, who felt they were at fault, and feel they cannot move forward are the ones who will have the hardest time breaking the chain of sexual abuse.
A quote from a past board member of The Awareness Center:
"pedophila has no religion".
Another words this is not a Jewish, Catholic or Muslim problem. It's a human problem.
Survivors of sexual violence should not feel ashamed or blamed for what happened to them. They were victimized by a criminal. If you were walking down the street and were mugged, most people would immediately contact the local police department. You would file a complain. Afterwards most people start telling everyone they know they were mugged. There's no shame in it. The person was victimized.
In cases of childhood sexual abuse, it's imperative for those who have been victimized to talk about what happened, over and over again. It should be seen in the same light as someone who was robbed at knife point.
I really honor and respect every survivor who is speaks out about what happened. Telling your stories of being abused publicly is an essential to helping to end sexual crimes in every community.
I do want to urge caution though. Please talk to your therapist, friends, and trusted family members prior to do so. Make sure you are in an emotionally stable place to do so. Only share what you feel comfortable sharing. If people ask you questions you do NOT feel comfortable answering, you don't have to. You have a right to keep what you want to confidential.
If you want more information about speaking out, please feel free to call me at The Awareness Center (443) 857-5560.
I have been thinking about this as well. Maybe a Jewish high school in Savannah should be a priority. If that is not possible, maybe we should move to communities where we can send our kids to a Jewish high school (not sleep-away). Maybe the Jewish high school should be coed. Everyone is concerned about tznius and boys having evil thoughts about women, but i think it would be a lot healthier for boys to be thinking about girls than being molested by boys and being messed up for life.
If you or anyone you know have been victimized by Shmuel Juravel please contact the FBI immediately. They are looking for survivors in Savannah, GA.
If you or someone you know was victimized by Shmuel Juravel while he was living in Baltimore, contact me at The Awareness Center. The FBI has been given some information regarding what you can do to help. The Awareness Center's phone number is 443-857-5560.
FBI Agents
Scott Sledd
205-279-1284
US Postal Inspector:
(Call if you have information on this case regarding child pornography, or Juravel traveling across state lines to commit a crime)
Jeff Arney
205-326-2909
The prosecuting attorneys are:
John H England, III or
Alice H Martin, US Attorney
US ATTORNEY'S OFFICE
205-244-2001
We are once again digressing saying that we shouldn't send our kids out of town to schools because they might be molested. The truth is that this didn't happen out-of-town, it happened right under our noses, right here in our community. It has nothing to do with separating girls and boys. Molestation doesn't just occur between men and boys. The predator strikes kids at a vulnerable age in their growth and seduces them with friendship until it progresses to a molestation stage. Do not blame frum or not frum, blame a deviant person and his ability to hide behind a disguise and use whatever means possible to attain his goal of molesting.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
What I meant by only was that knowledge of any inappropriate action, even if not inappropriate touching, needs to be forwarded to the proper authorities. An adult showing a child a pornographic magazine is definitely wrong and immoral. Perhaps I chose the wrong word, but I think most people knew what I meant.
Any such action performed by Shmuel needs to be reported so as to establish a pattern of behavior that the government can use against him.
Gee, only my first post on this message board and I got nailed by the semantics police!
And, since my comment was one that I consider staying on the primary topic of this message board and isn't what I've considered "incendiary"; and that I'm in the process of putting together a program on how to stay safe on the Internet for RDS (and most of you posters know that that's the part of the discipline I teach at AASU); I don't see a need to post this as "Anonymous".
Godfather said:
Rabbi JF, I assure you that there is no witch-hunt. Several people know that Shmuel was showing young boys pornography. I can certainly understand your reaction to the pornography post. Many people would probably have a problem witht their children viewing a Playboy magazine. I, on the other hand, am not naive and believe that this is a normal part of boyhood and puberty. Boys having a desire for women in natural and can be tolerated to an extent. If two teenage boys look through each other's copies of Playboy I would not be too worried (I understand that you have a problem with this religiously). However, I have a tremendous problem with an adult male having over young boys to watch pornography and weaken their resolve. That is disgusting and wrong.
progress is underway here in baltimore. we have sucessfully started a grassroots mission. we are NOT connected with any organizations or rabbis in any official capacity. our goal is to have our rabbis and educators speak from the pulpit in public about sexual abuse. what it looks like, feels like, smells like and sounds like. the horrible damage it causes and the NUMEROUS AMOUNT of RESOURCES available for survivors. this will give voice, power and safety for survivors to come forward and speak up. WE HAVE AN OBLIGATION TO SPEAK UP TO PROTECT THE PREDATORS FUTURE VICTIMS (just my opinion).we are doing this by educating one rabbi at a time. thank you to everyone of you that has agreed to share your story and to those who have put resources together for us! this grassroots mission has ONE PRIMARY PURPOSE: to help the survivor. i believe very strongly that if we as a community have the power to destroy and hurt then we have the power to HEAL AND NURTURE ourselves.we have the power give voice to survivors as a community. this is an OPEN INVITATION to all that want to help.(please leave your egos and agendas at the door!)my email addy: yacovsurvivor at yahoo dot com
we have already started and will not be stopped(we have no red tape and dont need any money!)please join us!
The signs were always there but the powers that be were blinded by money.
1. A controlling individual.Always
with children who he could control.
2. Always the "leader" in fund raising, the star of all programs,all about money.
3. Forget about dovining. Would come to Shul, never pray, just went around to the "powers" and spoke. Like a butterfly from flower to flower.Wanted to be president.
4. Stayed away from people that he feld he could not control or who wern't impressed by him.
And no one wanted to notice this very strange activity about him,as long as he continued to being in money for the Shul. Sort of made alot of people sick to see him.
That's why he had so many suits. Could control the tailor, flaunt his clothes, sneek his suits home so his wife didn't know..The guy is off..A smart phony but it's all about money. Makes one wonder if "his freinds" knew abouot him but kept their months shut because he brought in money..Sort of gets you sick !
Unfortunately, once again, a "looney" shows up at 12:22 a.m. You might do better to stay off of your computer and get some sleep...instead of making assumptions about what you obviously know nothing about. An assertion that "friends ...kept their mouths shut because he brought in money" is simply a fabricated, ignorant statement from someone who obviously has issues regarding their own self-worth. Shmuel was not even in line for the line to be President and the shul was and is in no way dependent on his efforts...the shul has been around alot longer than Shmuel.
However, perhaps something good can come from your own misguided observations...since you now see a void in the shul's programming and fundraising efforts, I am sure you are willing to step in and fill that need...I apologize if my own assumption that you do not contribute much effort to the benefit of the shul is incorrect. However, I do believe your last statement of "sort of gets you sick" is a bit late...you already are sick! Get a life.
HOW DO YOU KNOW IT WAS A WOMAN WHO POSTED THE "blog" re: Garfunkels?
You also mentioned a Reading Specialist?
Why don't YOU post your names to your unfounded comments?
Where do you come off with a diagnosis as to the mental character of the person writing the blog? Look to yourselves...in this community. Are you all perfect?
After many phone calls, the information was wrong and deserves an apology re:Garfunkels dismissal of the Rabbi. Actually, the dismissal was by someone else. This community IS no "sicker" than other communities: just small and shallow! Take inventory: The pathology and bad mouthing and pitting one shul vs. another is disgusting. And YOU holy people call yourselves FRUM. Shame on all of you.
Again, for all the commentors who brutally bashed the blogger re:"saying Good Shabbos". Take self-inventory about your behavior.
This person who had the guts to say he/she was from Baltimore comes from a good, kind place and was ONLY reflecting THE BEHAVIOR of the congregants of the BBJ.It is NO secret about this shul's community. It is NO surprise as to the snobbery there. This blogger did not make it up . It happens to be public opinion...so face FACTS. Perhaps take lessons from this bloggers feelings. Say it is true instead of denying the facts.
Again, my apologies to the Garfunkels. Now that I know the truth, it is worse than I had anticipated. Perhaps Schmuel's illness is a wake-up call to the people who think they know who wrote this. Shame on ALL of you who LABEL! So much for southern hospitality!
To the person who wrote-"HOW DO YOU KNOW IT WAS A WOMAN WHO POSTED THE "blog" re: Garfunkels?"
There was no question who the poster of the Garfunkel bashing was. The poster made it extremely obvious by stating that they moved from Baltimore 2 1/2 years ago. This particular poster makes these types of comments on a regular basis. The poster has said many other ridiculous things as well. There are many instances of extremely eccentric behaviour by this person. Perhaps it was not right to ridicule the poster. After all, having mental deficiencies is not a nice thing to pick on. Still, this was not the proper forum for the poster to make those comments, and I think that many people, recognizing the innacuracy of the comments, refused to keep silent. In fact, that post caused many people who had never posted anything before to start posting.
As for your other comments that:
"It is NO secret about this shul's community. It is NO surprise as to the snobbery there. This blogger did not make it up . It happens to be public opinion...so face FACTS. Perhaps take lessons from this bloggers feelings. Say it is true instead of denying the facts."
I completely disagree with you. I am not originally from this community. Since my arrival in Savannah, however, I have encountered almost nothing but generous, kind people. The Savannah and BBJ community is one of the greatest and rarest Jewish communities in the country. Perhaps you belong to another synagogue and you are bothered by the success of our community. Every community has problems. Every community has snobs (maybe you are one of them). People need not acknowledge the truth of what you claim are "FACTS". You are obviously one disgruntled person, and your posting is your OPINION, not FACT. Do you know the difference?
Also, I noticed that you wrote:
"Why don't YOU post your names to your unfounded comments?"
In response, WHY DON'T YOU? You posted anonymously as well. You also wrote some nasty things and I highly doubt that you will own up to them.
Once again, your post has nothing to do with this forum. This forum is about Juravel,pedophiles, Baltimore cover-ups etc. You are being extremely selfish by using this forum to promote your own agenda of discrediting a WONDERFUL COMMUNITY that is dealing with a HORRIBLE problem.
One more thing. I cannot help but wonder if the poster we were all talking about before posted the second tirade of comments depicting our fine shul as a horrible place. I noticed that the only posts on this entire blog where someone spelled the predator's name as "Schmuel," instead of "Shmuel" or some other variation, was the original nasty post about the Garfunkels and this second one telling us that it is true that our community is so horrible. If it is you, then at least you apologized to the Garfunkels. Still, who the hell are you to give everyone mussar? I suggest you take a look in the mirror and analyze your own actions whether you are the same poster or some new moron. Perhaps the fact that you have to pretend that you are a new poster defending the first person's post, should be a sign to you of how horrible your actions were. Learn from your own mussar.
WE ARE ALL getting away from the issue. How embarassing for me to read what people in my community are saying to each other. It does not matter if you are Reformed, Conservative, or Orthodox. Come on everyone....who cares how one spells SHMUEL's name, or who thinks who said or did what! If we start going against each other all the anti-Semites will have a field day with this!
WE are all here to help support and help. I belong to the BBJ and I would hope that I would never have offended or been ugly to anyone in this community regardless of where they pray. GET ON TASK.... let's keep fighting for Janie, this community, all the victims not just in Savannah, but around this world who have been abused and molested. My teenager saw all these blogs and he said, "why are the Jews fighting each other?" WE must stay strong and come together. If we fall apart bickering over trivial things we will never help anyone.
Is Shmuel Juravel related to Rabbi Avraham Juravel at the OU?
Students from Baltimore Yeshiva Visit the Orthodox Union to Learn More about Kashrut - March 24, 2006 - OU.ORG
http://www.ou.org/oupr/2006/koshbalt66.htm
Why the hell is Eisgrau still the principal of a school for young children? Get him out of there now.
Why is finding out why someone of the same last name as an alleged perpertrator is related or not so important?
TO THE PARENTS WHO SEEMS TO THINK THAT HIS PARENTS ARE AT FAULT AND HE MUST HAVE HAD A DISFUNCTIONAL FAMILY LIFE. YOU ARE MAKING AN ASSUMPTION. YOU DO NOT KNOW THEM TO SAY THAT ABOUT THEM.
THIS IS ALL LASHON HARA AND MOTZI SHEM RA. STICK TO THE FACTS
Are there any updates on shmuel's case? Does anyone know if he is still being held in alabama?
Believe it or Not? Here's the latest rumors.
There are NO survivors of Juravel in Baltimore. The people posing as survivors are really connected to the Tendler case, and are attempting to discredit those who are supportive to victim/survivors.
You have got to be kidding? Right? The scary thing is that the way the Tendler family operates one really never knows for sure.
Shmuel is still in custody. I've heard he will stay there at least until his court date.
Does anyone know when that court date is? I heard it won't be until June or July.
i personally know 4 survivors of juravel here in baltimore. and im sure there are more that i dont know. and if we are "posing" then i guess when the police investigate our claims the truth will come out.
Yacov,
I wonder if what you were responding to was an April Fools' Day comment. Looking at the allegations made against Juravel, and knowing he is being held in custody pending the trial. It would be hard to believe that there aren't survivors in Baltimore and Savannah, and anywhere else he's been.
Benjamin,
I wanted to thank you for sharing what you did about your past abuse history. I want to assure you that sexual abuse has absolutely nothing to do with being gay or about sex. It has everything to do about power and control.
There's information on The Awareness Center's web page that might be helpful to you, and also all of the other male survivors who are reading this blog.
http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/mens.html
Male-to-Male Child Sexual Abuse In the Context of Homophobia
by Kali Munro, M.Ed., Psychotherapist, 2000
http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/MaleToMale.html
Another great resource is:
http://www.jimhopper.com/male-ab/
Why would sexual abuse be so pervasive within the Yeshiva world?
Is it the ascetic attitude taken by the religious right towards physical pleasures?
Is it the fact that the Yeshivas do very little to channel the energies of the young talmidim into productive pursuits, and rather choose to repress and deny them?
Do the Roshei Yeshiva (heads of the seminaries) believe that their "bochurim" are immune to the permissive and tittilating nature of our society?
Do they equip their talmidim to deal with functioning in what is essentially a society that encourages promiscuity (albeit "safe" promiscuity)?
You are correct in that sexual abuse is a power thing and has little to do with sexuality. But why would the need to control manifest itself is this way among a society that bases itself on the principle of "kedoshim t'hiyu"(emulating the Holiness of God by controlling the base desires with the intellect)?
Where have our institutions of higher learning "skipped the groove"?
Your thoughts are welcome
To let folks know that the phone number for the Baltimore Child Abuse Center is (410) 396-6147.
We are an independent nonprofit center tasked with coordinating the multidisciplinary evaluation of every alleged child sexual abuse case in Balitmore City. We integrate the Child Sexual Abuse Unit of the Child Protection Service, Detectives of the Child Abuse Unit, appropriate State's Attorneys, specialized Forensic interviews, Pediatric Forensic Medical exams (my part)and treatment and referrals. Almost all components are on-site in our child friendly building located in Charles Village.
Anyone with a concern about any victim in Baltimore's jurisdiction under age 18 should call and report to CPS hotline at (410)361-2235. If unsure whether to call check with us.
Sexual depravity is of concern to society when its members, especially its most vulnerable, youngest members, are endangered. But, to lay the blame for inversion, perversion, deviant sexual interest etc. on any institution is absurd. These problems afflict a minority of every population. The number of suicides daily can be predicted based upon the population of a given area. Do we blame City Hall?
Those who are helped in their "cases," should make checks payable to the awareness center.
This person Shmuel had alot of people fooled..Would lead the Shul in dovining,big fund raiser,hot shot,etc. A lot of people fooled.
BUT did any of you know that November 21,2001 his stock brokers licience was taken away by NASD. That's how he became an insurance saleman. He proved to be a crook then and now with this latest incident, is proved to be a pervert, going after our children.
Because he brought in money, NO ONE
wanted to see his flaws, even though some people voiced objection to this person. When things were brought to the attention of some of the "powers" in the shul, The comment was always That it can't be trus..and look at all the MONEY he was bringing in. Until MONEY is not the number one focus of the BBJ and HASHAM becomes the number 1 focus of the BBJ, things will not change. The old guard will still be in charge, other hot shots will come along, all masked by the amount of money thay bring in to the shul. A very sick mind thought runs through this shul..anyone can "buy" there way in,just drop the $$$...and continue to do what you will..just don't get caught !
Here's some facts we all need to be aware of:
* The typical child sex offender molests an average of 117 children, most of who do not report the offence.
Source: National Institute of Mental Health, 1988.
About 60% of the male survivors sampled report at least one of their perpetrators to be female.
Source: Mendel, 1993.
About 95% of victims know their sex offenders.
Source: CCPCA, 1992.
It is estimated that approximately 71% of child sex offenders are under 35 and knew the victim at least casually. About 80% of these individuals fall within normal intelligence ranges; 59% gain sexual access to their victims through, seduction or enticement.
Source: Burgess & Groth, 1984.
I have been silently watching this thread, and finally feel I have semething to add. I think what people are getting away from is that Shmuel is a sociopath who had everyone fooled. He is extremely intelligent, knew what he was doing was wrong, but felt he could get away with it. As a person who thought she knew him, I can see that his family, his firends, and the Savannah Jewish community in general didn't have any idea that this was all going on. He was a man with two faces, who only exposed the part of himself he wanted people to see. To look back in hindsight and say that his fundraising efforts with the synagogue makes the synagogue sinister is wrong. It may have been a part of his smokescreen to make him seem okay, but I don't think the synagogue saw him as a cash cow for whom any illicit behavior was acceptable. To suggest otherwise is not a very kind thing to do, and those doing it should examine their own motives and latent insecurities. I know his family. His wife and children are remarkable people, kind, thoughtful, wonderful, and they are also victims here for whom a little Jewish kindness and respect would be more than appropriate.
In all likelihood, Shmuel will be away a long time, as he should. Everyone is glad he has been stopped from hurting anyone else. I think it is time to stop pointing fingers and hurling accusations and time to start thrying to help the community heal and learn from the mistakes so that this cannot be allowed to happen again.
So that what cannot happen again?
Crime?
Dishonesty?
Crimes against children?
You are very kind.
I have read many of your comments & not all but WAY TO MANY of you are not at all saying anything that brings out a point & may help others & stop any harm to us & most important to our kids!!! stop all the BS & trying to put other people down to make yourself feel superior!! Yes we all need to be aware of this & prevent it, this is a terrible incident that happened & hopefully everything in the end will become clear to us & whatever has to be done will be done for this situation & to prevent any such incidents from EVER happening again!!! but to just write post cursing & yelling at one another or about someone else is 10000% cowardness & uncalled for!!! in such times we all need to be togehter & look at the real picture & work together to prevent this from ever ever happening again!!!!!!!!!!!
Amen...y'all.
This is the latest, filed on March 30, 2006:
GJ# 11
AHM/JHE: Apr 2006
IN THE UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT
FOR THE NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ALABAMA
SOUTHERN DIVISION
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA )
)
v. )
)
SAMUEL ZEV JURAVEL )
a/k/a “Shmuel Zev Juravel” )
INDICTMENT
COUNT ONE: [18 U.S.C. § 2422(b)]
The Grand Jury charges:
That from on or about the 31st day of January, 2006, continuing to on or
about the 21st day of February, 2006, in Jefferson County, within the Northern
District of Alabama, and elsewhere, the defendant,
SAMUEL ZEV JURAVEL
a/k/a “Shmuel Zev Juravel”,
used a facility and means of interstate commerce, that is a computer accessing an
Internet service provider and the mail, to attempt to knowingly persuade, induce,
and entice an individual who had not attained the age of 18 years to engage in
prostitution and any sexual activity for which any person can be charged with a
criminal offense, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Section 2422(b).
FILED
2006 Mar-30 PM 05:31
U.S. DISTRICT COURT
N.D. OF ALABAMA
2
COUNT TWO : [18 U.S.C. § 2423(b) and (e)]
The Grand Jury charges:
On or about the 21st day of February, 2006, in Jefferson County, within the
Northern District of Alabama, and elsewhere, the defendant,
SAMUEL ZEV JURAVEL
a/k/a “Shmuel Zev Juravel”,
did knowingly travel in interstate commerce from the State of Georgia to the State
of Alabama for the purpose of attempting to engage in illicit sexual conduct with
another person, in violation of Title 18, United States Code, Sections 2423(b) and
(e).
COUNT THREE: [18 U.S.C. § 2252A(a)(5)(B)]
The Grand Jury charges:
That on or about the 21st day of February 2006, in Jefferson County, within
the Northern District of Alabama, the defendant,
SAMUEL ZEV JURAVEL
a/k/a “Shmuel Zev Juravel”,
did knowingly possess material that contained images of child pornography that
had been shipped and transported in interstate commerce, in violation of Title 18,
United States Code, Section 2252A(a)(5)(B).
3
COUNT FOUR: 18 U.S.C. § 2253(a)(3)]
The Grand Jury charges:
1. Count Three of this Indictment is incorporated by reference for the
purpose of alleging criminal forfeiture.
2. The defendant, SAMUEL ZEV JURAVEL, has an interest in the
following property, which interest is subject to forfeiture to the United States
pursuant to Title 18, United States Code, Section 2253(a)(3):
Dell Inspiron 700m laptop computer, model number PP07S, with
serial number CN-0T9957-70166-58W-E1BX
in that such property was used and intended to be used to commit and promote the
commission of the offense charged in Count Three of this Indictment, in violation
of Title 18,United States Code, Section 2253(a)(3).
A TRUE BILL
/s/
FOREMAN OF THE GRAND JURY ALICE H. MARTIN
United States Attorney
/s/
JOHN H. ENGLAND III
Assistant United States Attorney
I also found this:
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 29, 2006
www.usdoj.gov/usao/aln
FOUR MEN CHARGED IN CHILD PORNOGRAPHY CASES
BIRMINGHAM, AL - A federal grand jury has returned indictments today against four men charging them in separate cases of child pornography.
SHADE ARTHUR BALLENGER, 44 of Fort Payne, Alabama is charged in a one count indictment with possession of child pornography. If convicted he will face a federal prison sentence of up to ten years, and a fine of up to $250,000.
DARREN VINCENT GESE, 34, of Pinson, Alabama is charged in a two-count indictment with using the internet to entice a minor to engage in illegal sexual activity, and with traveling in interstate commerce for the purpose of engaging in illicit sexual conduct with another person. If convicted he will face a maximum federal prison sentence of up to thirty years, and a fine of up to $250,000.
JOHN BRADLEY POWERS, 58 of Hoover, Alabama is charged in a two-count indictment with possession of pornographic images depicting young children. POWERS' conduct was discovered after a separate investigation began in Germany revealed that POWERS received child pornography via the internet. If convicted he will face a federal prison sentence of up to ten years, and a fine of up to $250,000.
SAMUEL ZEV JURAVEL, 29, of Savannah, Georgia is charged in a four count indictment for interstate travel to have sex with a child, use of the internet to attempt to entice a child to engage in illegal sex acts, and possession of child pornography. It is alleged that on February 21, 2006, JURAVEL traveled to a location in Jefferson County to meet what he believed to be a 12-year-old and an 11-year-old for illegal sex acts. After his arrival at the location, JURAVEL was also found to be in possession of pornographic images depicting young boys. It is also alleged that from January 31 until February 21, 2006, JURAVEL used the internet to attempt to persuade, induce, and entice the boys to meet him for sex. JURAVEL now faces up to 70 years in prison if convicted on all counts, and a fine of up to $750,000.
Each also faces criminal forfeiture of computer equipment.
"Child pornography steals the innocence of childhood," stated U.S. Attorney Alice H. Martin. "These children will be protected through zealous prosecution. The message is very clear to internet users Child Pornography is prosecuted," added U.S. Attorney Martin.
Special Agents of the Federal Bureau of Investigation were instrumental in each of these cases. Special Agents of the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement investigated case involving POWERS. The Birmingham Police Department, and the DeKalb County Sheriff's Office assisted in the respective investigations.
This can be accessed from the DOJ website at:
http://birmingham.fbi.gov/dojpressrel/pressrel06/bh032906b.htm
how did you get the text of "GJ# 11 - the indictment" filed on March 30, 2006? did you find this online?
Somebody make sure that this deviant gives his wife a Get. Couldn't you see a devious low-life like this using a Get as a means of manipulating others?
The family is going to continue to suffer from this. At least his wife should be able to sever her marital connection to him without fear of having it held over her head.
I have some questions..Just trying to find out the REAL FACTS about this person, Juravel.
1. Was there a cover up in Baltimore regarding his past?
2. Did his parents or Rabbi's know about his sickness while living in Baltimore and did cover it up?
3.Was there a cover up regarding his losing his securities licence ?
4. If there was a cover up regarding his past in Balitmore, are the people involved in the cover up liable for the coverup.
5. Did any of the Savannah peolle know or suspect anything about this person ?
Simple questions..should require simple answers.
This despite faces 70 years in prison..70 years. Was this his first offence ?
Just the facts,please. In the hard way or the easy way, the facts will come out. Hopefully soon.
Larry Dane-Kellogg, L.C.S.W. Savannah Jewish Family Services
I have just recently become aware of this blog. It has certainly been educational for me to read the comments written here, as I have never followed a long-term discussion on the web before (let alone posted on one).
Last summer, Jewish Family Services, organized a committee which represented most of the Savannah community agencies that work with children and families. Together we developed a group known as "POC" (Protecting our Children) and presented parent and professional trainings directed toward “keeping children safe” in a sometimes unsafe world.
POC is continuing the parenting series with two more presentations in May that will enhance the knowledge base of most parents (as well as professionals):
May 9th at 1:30 p.m. – “The Dynamics of Sexual Abuse: How Kids Are Tricked and Trapped,” with sexual abuse treatment expert, Tod Lynch-Stanley, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, who has been working in this field for 25 years.
May 24th at 10:00 am.- On a lighter note, “The Joy of Parenting,” will be directed at parents with toddlers and pre-schoolers. This will be presented by Dr. Tamara Knapp-Grosz, PhD, Director, The Center for Student Counseling and Disability Services at Savannah College of Art and Design.
*May 4th at 7:00 p.m. I also want to make sure readers know about a related education presentation that Rambam Day School is presenting, titled: “Do You Know Where Your Children Are? How To Protect Your children On The Internet.” The presentation will be given by Frank Katz.
All of these presentations will be at the Jewish Educational Alliance and are free and open to the public.
I invite anyone who wants information regarding the issues being addressed on this blog: support or guidance on how to handle a particular situation; information on local resources for children and families; or for CONFIDENTIAL conversations or counseling to discuss personal or family concerns, to please call me (Larry Dane-Kellogg, L.C.S.W., Director of Jewish Family Services) at 912-355-8111.
J.F.S. is a community service of the Savannah Jewish Federation. All assistance is kept strictly confidential. Anonymous calls will be accepted if you feel the need to do so.
To answer your question-the indictment is online, but not in a way that you can access it. Although the indictment is Public Record, only people with access to legal databases can get a hold of it. I am a law student, and therefore, have unlimited access to these databases.
I thought you would be interested in this article regarding the Tendler case. Remember that there is a strong connection between the way cases are handled in Baltimore and the Tendler family.
"Another Tendler Resigns"
http://jewishsurvivors.blogspot.com/2006/04/another-tendler-steps-down.html
I'll be honest with you, I've had a bad experience when I've tried to get help from Jewish Family Services. The therapist I had really didn't understand where I was coming from. When I started asking about her education, and the education of the other therapists there, No one had any real training working with survivors. I was feeling very blamed for being abused.
After doing a great deal of research I finally contacted the "GEORGIA NETWORK TO END SEXUAL ASSAULT." I strongly suggest survivors to contact them.
http://www.gnesa.org/
Georgia Network to End Sexual Assault
131 Ponce de Leon Avenue, Suite 122
Atlanta, GA 30308
404-815-5261(phone)
1-866-354-3672 (toll free)
404-815-5265 (fax)
gnesa@mindspring.com
to the person looking for the "real facts",
the only people that can truly answer you are his victims and his family. my expeience here in baltimore in the past is "ignorance is bliss". "he comes from a good family, he's a rebbi, blah blah, it can't be true."
HOWEVER, we have started and already made tremendous progress with a grassroots mission to change baltimore. there are a number of people involved in a variety of resources and capacities in this effort. survivors have filed police reports, support groups are being formed, rabbis have been invited and accepted the invitations to hear from survivors and be educated in our stories and the resources available. WE ARE MAKING REAL CHANGES!there are really bad, stinking, horrible apples in every community, but that doesnt mean that our entire orchard needs to be burned! we have such POWER when we work together! WE CAN HEAL and we can educate and PROTECT ourselves in a persistent,aggresive and loving way without resoting to rage and hate. we, as survivors,(i feel)have a responsibilty to speak up, because if we don't we will continue to be disregared and shunned. lets HONOR OURSELVES and our and our children and do all that is in our power to create POSITIVE CHANGE in our community!please join us! you can reach me by email: yacovsurvivor at yahoo dot com.
Yakov: Thank you for your comments reference to Baltimore and Juravel.
Still leaves basic, very basic questions unanswered.
1. Did Juravel have a "past" in Baltimore. Surely if he did, something has to come out nomatter how hard people try to hide it.
2. Did his family know "anything" about this kid ? Didn't anyone report the kid to the family,authorities, et al.
3. Rumor hass it that Shumel Juravel was in a "western state" before he arrived in Savannah, like
Wyoming, Idaho , Utah, or somewhere like that. Was he "sent" there
to get him out of town or what ?
Nice to hear progress is being made but surely the facts have to come out. What's going on..
Yakov: Read your statement.
What REAL,POSITIVE CHANGES are being made in your community ?
What does that statement mean.
What "REAL CHANGES" are being made ? What does that statement mean.
The other poster just wanted to know if Juravel was a known offender in Baltimore and did the community, including his family cover it up ? Is there a direct honest answer to that question. Did Juravel have a "past" of child abuse in Baltimore..?
What kind of Jewish community would shelter a child molester ?
What's going on ? What positive changes are you speaking about..facts not words. Does anyone have the answers ?
I would not look to Yacov for answers as his posts are all rambling diatribes about REAL CHANGES etc etc. without any substance.
Reference to Yacov's posts. Exactly!
"Positive changes"..what does that mean ?
All I was asking for were answers to very simple direct questions:
Was this person Juravel known to "have a past" in Baltimore related to child molestation ? Did his famil;y know about it ? I really don't care if his father is a Rabbi..Was there a cover up.Was Juravel "shipped" out of Baltimore to avoid embarressment to the family. Surely someone in Baltimore must know something of this person, or are they all guilty. No one comes forth with answers..what a community..!!
Well, I'm pretty confident you won't get a cogent or coherent answer barking up the "Yacov" tree. Just a rambling about "REAL CHANGES" etc. etc.
People who want to make "REAL CHANGES" don't need to go on long diatribes and boast. They act and their actions speak for themselves. They don't need big websites full of "Awareness". They follow truth and justice and have integrity. They expose the guilty and vindicate those proven innocent. Yacov doesn't seem coherent enough in his postings to do any of that. Keep looking.
From experience, Savannah has something in common with Vegas.
What happens in either place, likely stays in either place.
You won't hear any facts out of Savannah unless they are
a. Public knowledge
b. From a disgruntled Savannahian
As for the disgruntled Savannhian, you'd have to take their remarks with a grain of salt since they are likely biased against the community.
Suffice it to say that Shmuel Juravel is behind bars. If the charges stick, he will likely spend many, many years there. Hopefully his family will be able to move on.
And for all of us...Let us say
THE END.
Please forward this message to all Jewish survivors of incest, childhood sexual abuse, sexual assault, professional sexual misconduct, and sexual harassment (both male and female survivors).
The next networking group for Jewish survivors of sexual abuse/assault sponsored by The Awareness Center, Inc. will be held at:
Where: Etz Chaim Center for Jewish Learning
3702 Fords Lane, Baltimore, MD 21215
When: Monday, April 17, 2006 - 7:30 pm
For more information call: Vicki Polin 443-857-5560
This is a Survivor ONLY meeting.
Whoever said the Garfunkels are not that wealthy are sure not very knowledgeable. They probably have more than all the doctors and lawyers in Savannah put together. But this is not about the Garfunkels, it is about child molesters and how to keep them out of our community. Try to stay focused on the issue.
As a Baltimorean who has had to deal with the local rabbis in a divorce case, I can tell you that the leading rabbis here in town have no compunctions about blatantly lying about things if they feel that is the right thing to do, making misleading comments, and ruining the reputations of those who don't bow to them.
My heart goes out to all who have suffered sexual molestation. Both of my children are survivors -- the horrible abuse happened in Savannah -- and our story rings with many comments written here -- people in Savannah knew that my ex-husband was a sexual preditor a convicted child molestor - and no one warned me --not even those in law enforcement whose job it was to warn me -- they stood by and allowed me to marry him -- to have children -- and when I did realize what was up - while there were many who were supportive -- there were others who said that I was wrong to turn him in -- that Savannah keeps Savannah's back -- they were more worried about Savannah's reputation and his family's money and name than the children.
Savannah has a serious problem concerning sexual predators --go check the sex offender registry -- see the history of sexual predators in and around Savannah -- But what do expect when probation officers allow sex offenders to work at such places as the roller skating rink -- or in family owned "family restaurants" -- or judges that are afraid to terminate the paretnal rights of convicted child molestors and give these pedophiles visitation rights with their victims -- or how about this: the very counselor advertised on this Blog by the JFS -- a man that is suppose to be teaching you how to keep your kids safe -- is the the very same man who is advocating that my ex-husband be allowed visitation rights with the very victims of his horrific crimes.
And my children are not his only victims - my ex-husband has admitted to molesting close to 100 other children and yet he walks freely in your community.
So you folks are asking what is the problem in Savannah??? - Take a close look at home to who is minding the safety of your children.
May God watch over the little ones --- may God open your eyes to the evil ones in your community who wish to harm the little ones -- my prayers are with you all.
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