Jewish Survivors of Baltimore, Maryland Speak Out!
Due to the number of individuals who have concerns regarding allegations against various individuals who live in the Baltimore area this thread is being created for you. The hope is that this will be a safe place for you to talk about things that have happened in the past, what is happening now, and ways you feel can make your community better.
Please note that the photo's above only represent the cases that I was able to find photographs of.
posted by Jewish Survivors at Tuesday, May 23, 2006
40 Comments:
YK's ex-wife said...
And for those interested… Yossi WAS considered the “shadchan” for Shmuely. And for further clarity I was the one they flew in for the engagement party in Savannah, as a token of appreciation to Yossi. I did hear rumors from TI in regards to this fellow Shmuely, and told Yossi about them. He told me he heard them but he knows Shmuely and that I shouldn’t believe such things. Furthermore, I shouldn’t dare ruin this for Janie. Its all hearsay, I must keep silent.
I finally had the guts to walk away from the” matrimonial union” I had with Yossi when I found out he was also having inappropriate relationships with young girls. One of whom happened to be my 14 year old babysitter. I received a “get” immediately and also got sole custody of my daughter.
According to very reliable sources, he recently liquidated his assets and planned with his already pregnant young wife to move to another country.
Furthermore, he swore to me that if any of this comes out, he will ruin my life and take my daughter away from me.
I also wonder... what is being done in regards to the allegations against YK...
And to Janie, I am so so sorry I didn't come forward and say anything to you. I heard stuff that I should have told you. I could have saved you years of pain of aggravation. I hope you find in your heart a place to forgive me for my silence. You are a wonderful person and deserve only good things in your life.
I promise, even though its not easy, I will no longer keep quiet.
YK's ex-wife said...
If you were “groomed” as people have been putting it, by YK you are NOT alone! And he does not just “groom” (he even became groom in both incidents.)
Please file a report with the police. You have the power to save others.
I know you are scared. So am I. I have been scared for the past 10 years. I am still scared of him. I know his tactics. I know how slick and sick he is. I know how he “grooms” and then takes advantage. I know how self-centered he is. I know how he smiles; I know his pitiful eyes when he tries to buy you with his stories. I know how he can’t “perform” properly and that is why he is so intimidated by women and has to go to young innocent girls and “educate” them. I know how he rationalizes his actions (she is 14 going on 25, so mature you wouldn’t believe, she needs help someone has to be there for her) I know how sadistic he can become when he doesn’t get what he wants. I know how he sets his hand on your leg, late at night in the car, and tells you how much he cares. I know how he hugs you tight and kisses you lightly so even though it’s wrong, the way he presses against you, it almost feels right. I know he makes you feel like you are the only one and how you should keep this perfect relationship quiet. I know he also doesn’t stop reminding you incase you start doubting his sincerity and see boundaries crossed with decadent actions. I know how he turns you against everyone you were taught to trust leaving him as your only confidant, and ultimately your only “savior”. I know how trapped you feel. Trapped for years… trapped with wrong and right… trapped within the silence of your pain that knows no boundaries… You are not alone. You are not the only one…
Yes, I know you are scared. So am I. Keep in mind, to prey on young, innocent, religious (and therefore extremely naïve) girls, only a coward can behave that way.
If you were/is a victim of YK or know any young children that may be in harm's way, PLEASE find the strength within yourselves. Reach out. There is awareness out there today. There is support. Again, I know you are scared. So am I. It took a lot for me to write this. But we have to show these predators, which have the audacity to shield themselves behind Torah and Rabbis, that this behavior is absolutely unacceptable. File a report. Take action. Make our community a safe place for our children.
Anonymous said...
Can we start a new thread for the "wonderful" YK. It seems that the allegations against him are true. Lets stop him now before he moves. We have the power to bring him down if we want. It's easy to blame other people but if we don't do something then are we any better??????????
Anonymous said...
Ex wife of YK. I commend you for the enourmous courage it took you to post this. YK is the one who should be afraid. You have done nothing wrong. Thank you for warning the community. People like you who are willing to speak out is what will prevent more victims. Stay strong!
Let's talk about Heinemann and Hopfer. I know for a fact that they have heard of at least two allegations against Eisgrau first hand, and they have heard from another Rabbi in Balto about AT LEAST 3 other allegations that he has personal knowledge of. Of course they have discredited EVERYONE who dares to say anything against Eisgrau including the Rabbi who has on numerous occasions tried to get them to deal with this. It is all the usual crap. Eisgrau's accusers are either "disturbed" have a "vendetta" against someone, or the whole community, or are otherwise "crazy" and "not frum." How could they let a man with these kinds of allegations against him continue to have access to children? Why don't they have him evaluated by professionals who evaluate offenders instead of frum community psychologists who know Eisgrau and are just as invested in protecting the image of the community as they are? Are they waiting for the whole thing to blow up in thier shameful ignorant faces like the Lanner and Kolko cases? How can these Rabbis be stopped? The parent's in the school go to Heinemann and Hopfer when they hear of the "rumers" and are told that Eigrau was investigated and cleared. If you speak to the investigator he will tell you that the charges were dropped for "lack of sufficent evidence." These cases are very hard to prove especialy when victims are afraid to speak out. There is often lack of sufficient evidence to prosecute and it doesn't mean Eisgrau is safe to be around kids. .
Is Menken a predator or not? He is still a prominent (in terms of exposure) member of the Baltimore Orthodox community. And if he had a past, should we shun him? Is it beyond rehabilitation?
Forget The Awareness Center's site on Menken read about him here
http://lukeford.net/profiles/profiles/yaakov_menken.htm
Can a sexual predator be rehabilitated?
Have you read anything on the topic? Menken is very much like YK. He knows how to groom is prey.
"He is still a prominent (in terms of exposure) member of the Baltimore Orthodox community."
Mordechai Gafni was an extremely prominent internationally known figure, yet he's been a sexual predator for 25 years.
"Mordechai Gafni was an extremely prominent internationally known figure, yet he's been a sexual predator for 25 years."
This should mean then, that j hershy worch, who is just a two-bit failure, will be able to get away with it for 50 years.
For the sake of clarity and information, can you identify the individuals in the photographs you posted? Many of us may not know/recognize the individuals pictured and names would be helpful.
can you clarify the allegations against YK? I think I know who it is and it would help.
Anonymous said...
can you clarify the allegations against YK? I think I know who it is and it would help.
what do you want to know?
last picture. bottom right. who is it? looks familiar and the only one I don't recognize...
People on this blog:
I am extremely concerned if the allegations posted by the ex-wife of YK are true. However, we insisted that Janie confirm whether the letter she posted was authentic. I think that we should also make sure that the person posting as "YK's ex-wife" do the same. YK's ex-wife, Please get in touch with "Jewish Survivor's of Sexual Violence" so that the blog editor can confirm that you are really YK's ex-wife.
I don't think it really matters at this time one way or another if it was YK's ex-wife, or Juravel's wife who wrote the letters.
What carries the most weight is that the majority of people who used to be friends with YK do not respect him. They are saying that that he's manipulative and cunning.
Attention: On the other thread someone questioned how YK's wife could have been 14 by their separation.....(thread five)
I was struck by the comment and did some investigating.
Fact#1:YK's current wife graduated high school in 2003
Fact#2:YK and his ex separated in 2002.
those are two undeniable facts. EASILY VERIFIED.
how could the babysitter have been 14 and "continued 'babysitting' after the wife left baltimore with the kid" if they separated in 02 and she graduated at the end of that school year?!
are you suggesting that she graduated at age 14??
and also, she left for Israel right after she graduated.(he molested her long distance?)
which means: she was 18 when she graduated(most high school graduates are 18). which means that the sitter was 17 or 18 when YK and his ex separated, depending what time of year it was.
can someone please clarify for me the allegations against YK?
"what carries the most weight....he's manipulative and cunning"
being manipulative is not a sex crime. I can say a lot of bad things about you-you're a bad father (I don't know if you have kids or not, it's just an example), you lie a lot, you have bad table manners,etc,etc. does that make you a molester?
we here are trying to figure out whether or not the acusations that YK molested his wife are true or not. we don't care about his personality.
Maybe we should try to get in touch with his wife?
I dont know what is true and what is not. I just want to say that I know who yk is, not well, just his face, and I know who his ex-wife is. I dont know when they separated, but I do know that they were at Ram and Erin Roth's wedding in the summer of 02. they were still together then. so they separated sometime after that.
so if its true that the sitter was 18 in 2003, obviously, she could not have been 14 when they separated.
Who said she was 14 when they seperated?????????? She was 14 when she babysat for their daughter before they seperated.... and who is ram and eran roth??
I know YK's current wife personally and she was involved with him when she babysat there. However, she'll never speak against him now. Were there other minors that he was involved with who would speak out against him?
oh, so the story already changed. Are you telling us people on the blog that the ex was lying when she said she "walked away" and "immediately recived a get..." "when I found out...with my 14 year old babysitter"? so the story now is different?
what happened to:
"they were separated when the sitter was 14.5" (thread 5) and
"she was coming to his house at age 14 even when she no longer needed to babysit" (thread 5) and
"she even continued babysitting for months after YK's ex-wife moved out of Baltimore with the kid"(thread 4)
so all that is now not true, huh?
is the story now changed?
what's the new version???
My friends!!! you must understand!
"false accusations of this nature occur"!!
do you all remember the case a few years ago with that woman who claimed that her father abused her for years and brought it to court, there was a trial, everything. after the trial she stood up and announced that it was all a lie, it wasn't true. It was all over national news. remember??
your only source of information is some anonymous blogs that were proven wrong!!!!
how do you know she was involved with him? did she tell you that??
or are you lying like the ex-wife?
if you somehow prove how you would know this info we'll believe you
"were there other minors...?"
there have been no claims. rather everyone has decided on the wife's behalf that she was groomed and abused. and everyone said "for a fact" that she was 14 when they separated and and now that was proven a lie. what else is the ex lying about??
For everyone's information: the sexual age of consent in Maryland is 16.
I have a question for everyone.
Is YK's relationship with his current wife any different then the case School Teacher - Mary Kay Letourneau (now 43) who married her student Vili Fualaau (now 22)?
Mary Kay went to prison for 7 1/2 years. When she got out she married the boy she sexually abused.
Fualaau was 13, a student in Letourneau's class when the two began a sexual relationship.
Letourneau gave birth to their first daughter shortly after her 1997 conviction. She served six months and was released on probation, but was ordered to serve her full sentence after she and Fualaau were found together in a van, in violation of a no-contact order. She gave birth to their second daughter while in prison.
I have a question for you, mr. confused.
Yk's ex says she knew about the "molestation" of the babysitter and that's why she left, correct?
well, if the babysitter was 16(because when she was 14 their daughter was not even born yet) that's over the age of consent and therefore not molestation but cheating, WHY does the divorce agreement between Yk and ex state that the separation was "mutual"and "voluntary", in other words, no abuse or cheating. and says that their reason for divorce was simply because differences between the 2 parties arose and things just didn't work out.
and if she was not over the age of 16 WHY in the world did the ex sign an agreeement that allows the father-yk- to have his daughter every 2 weeks for a few days or a weekend??!!! she put her daughter into the hands of someone she knew was a molester??!! every 2 weeks?!! for 4 years YK saw his daughter every few weeks. there is no clause in the agreement requiring supervised visitation,etc. so she knew he was a molester and gave her over to him every two weeks willingly unsupervised?!
the answer is and it has now become more obvious to everyone, YK did not molest her, nor did he have any relationship with her. and the ex knows it better than anyone.
if you want to know how I know the terms of the agreement-yk does not hide the agreement. his ex does not mention it because to her it's incriminating, it proves she lied. but yk does not hide it, it helps prove his innocence.
why has no one come with any proof?
all they do is like little children say over and over no it IS true! it is! it is! it is! yeah? so answer these questions. and also tell me why the ex has been lying-she was caught in her own lie. that doesn't say something to you at all?
to confused:
how can you equate the two stories?
I remember the case. the teacher was caught with the boy in the back of the car having sex with him. there was proof, there was a fair trial, there was a conviction.
In YK's case there was no proof, not even a claim from the only one you're saying was abused!!! no trial, no conviction.
I am a survivor. I was sexually abused for many years as a young child by my very sick uncle who has since disappeared. I am a very strong believer in NOT ignoring allegations, in taking them seriously and getting these sick guys locked up. but I also believe that sometimes when people are very angry they will say things that aren't true to get back at the person. we must not ignore rumors, we need to investigate every claim. However, we need to check out if it is true before we believe them as gospel truth. because some are not. like in this case here with YK, everyone believed for a fact what people said that she was 14 when they separated and continued coming to his house after they separated. when some honost soul looked into the years and ages it didn't add up and it was proven that it was a lie.
it is people like this ex-wife who make it difficult for the real criminals to get exposed, caught, and locked up and for victims like me to feel safe and comfortable speaking up. For years I did not talk about it, told no one, acted like it didn't happen. only recently did I begin to face it and begin the healing process. but I am very scared if speaking out will cause innocent people to be accused and condemned before they are proven guilty...
to all of YK supporters and to everyone else. The babysitter was not 14 when YK seperated from his first wife. She was 14 when she babysat while they were still living together. Second of all the agreement between YK and his wife......... isn't that private? and besides, whatever it says doesnt proove anything!!!! because YK gets watever he wants. He controlls girls, rabbi's in this community (with his money) and it seems that everone is afraid of this guy!!! Are there so many people that are blind??? Come on, wake up and smell the coffee......
Seriously this guy YK is a manipulative person. His young wife's parents did not agree with their daughter's decision to marry him, in fact they were totally against it-- they were actually contemplating not going to thier wedding?? Does that say anything? Their (current wife's family) Rabbi did not reccomend that she get married to YK -- So how did he do it?? He got Rabbi Neuberger to help mend out the situation for him--- Manipulation-- I think SO!!
It seems that it will tike sometime but sooner or later we will all see the face behind the mask. I hate writing this stuff because it might be lashon hara........ but eventhough YK has many good qualities like everyone but if he likes young girls then we must STOP him. We can't drag this for so long and someone has to speak to rabbi Neuberger and tell him to wake up. I cant believe he has rabbi N. under his spell.
no, the agreement is not private if it can potentially prove someone's guilt or innocence in such a serious matter. (the ex certainly wants it kept private, now doesn't she).
Also, a divorce agreement is something that is done by the court system not the Rabbis, does he also control the US court system?! wow. sounds like we need this guy to be training our police force with that control he has, I mean, come on, that was a pathetic attempt.
but alright, let's pretend that the agreement doesn't prove anything. okay. but the ex's own actions certainly do!! why didn't you answer that-if the ex really thought that YK was a molester and abuser how could she for 4 years give her daughter over to him every few weeks for a few days?!!
what a terrible mother! A mother willingly and knowingly gives her daugher into the hands an abuser and molester?! the courts should take the little girl away from her just for that alone!! don't you think?
the answer is clear, like everyone is now realizing. the ex knows that Yk is not a molester nor an abuser. she knows that she made up all these allegations.
btw-the sitter babysat when she was 14, huh?? actually, and this can probably be proved, I believe she was out of town for a lot of that year (1999-the year the daughter was born).
are you gonna change your story now again?
please explain to everyone exactly the way it happened so we all can try to verify the exact details. if you know so much tell us, years, dates, so we can verify. (phone records always exist, you know).
i can't believe how you guys don't look at the facts. you just keep insisting that he likes young girls. you were presented with many questions that challenge these accusations. why aren't you answering any of them?? if you were so positive of the facts and you knew them you would answer the questions. "if he likes young girls" that "if" is key. that's what we're trying to find out and you're not being helpful by not answering questions about the case.
to anonymous who suggests to call Rabbi Neuberger, why not take action instead of just blabbering!call Rabbi Neuberger!!!
I can tell YK is under tremendous pressure here. Its also very obvious he is writing these blogs based on the info... Especially the way its twisted so well
Good Job YK, doing what you do best! Save some energy for court, though... so the judge can see it too. And you can stop going by anonymous. Stop being such a coward for once in your life.
As for the rest of you, that may be keeping up with these cool blogs, I will keep you posted as to court dates where you can recieve the most accurate and vital info in reference to YK's orchestrated unethical and immoral behaviors. Just thought I would warn you guys to beware... people have this knack for trusting their landscaper, you know...
I see the harm done with Shmuely and how people didn't talk about him... We must change. Hear no Evil, Speak no Evil, See no Evil Is only letting Evil live freely and do as it pleases to all those we can not escape his clutches... As a community we must change. So, just beware... looking forward to seeing you all in court.
hello everyone!
we had the second survivor/rabbi meeting last night. it was attended by 6 survivors and 5 rabbis. i know that a lot of you could not make it due to the timing. for next meeting we will definitely choose a better time. it was a very positive meeting and i feel like we have a solid core of rabbis who are willing to stand up, take action and make a difference. R' said again that a perpetrator has a Din of a Rodef (halachik status of a murderer) and we must bring these matters to the attention of the authorities, i.e. Police, F.B.I., etc. They all were in agreement with him. R' mentioned that our priorty as a community aught to be to have a system in place to deal with the cases that are going on right now. not to ignore the past, we must try to undue the wrongs of the past. but we need to start with the present. i agree with that.
i think our next step is with the rabbis. a call to action, a public forum, something. we are all open to ideas and suggestions. lets keep in mind that our goal is to create a POSITVE AWARENESS that will be heard by the community.
i am gathering a group of clinicians to educate the rabbis from their side. i will let you know when that happens.
i will be meeting with our Educator after Shavous to discuss an outline for the school program.
please get back to me with your comments, suggestions and most importantly how you are willing to help!
once again, i am blessed to have shared another incredibly courageous experience with my fellow survivors. thank you all for being there. and thank you to the rabbis who are stepping up to the plate with the absolutely toughest challenge we could choose in a community. i would not want to be in your shoes!
God Bless and God Speed to all.
check out
http://jewishsurvivors.blogspot.com/2006/05/survivor-happenings-in-baltimore-be.html
i can be reached at yacovsurvivor@yahoo.com
to ex-wife.
I dont know if it was YK who posted those posts or not but i think at this point it does not matter who posted them. what matters are the facts. those posts bring facts, years, things that are verifiable, things that we could easily look up and check(and we did for some of them!). you just keep saying this is the way it is, or this, or he's twisting it, etc. how is he twisting things? do you have proof? is it true what that blogger said about you giving him the daughter unsupervised every 2 weeks for four years? that's a legit question, why dont you answer it? why dont you anwswer all the questions? why dont you bring proof of the things you say? we want some ways we can verify things. please, tell us how we can verify what youre saying. we want to know the real truth!!!!!
so tell us, when's the next court date, maybe we'll all show up!
This is not the place to be proving anything. I think it's best to save all proof for your attorney or for the court room.
I think that who ever runs this blog should cut off the discussion of YK. I think enough has been said.
Are there other individuals we should all be concerned about? Are there things we can do to make our community safer?
Does anyone know anything about the rapist in our community? Has he been found yet? Has he raped anyone else?
To words of wisdom
You are right... "this is not the place to be proving anything" We is WE want to know the truth??? What will you do? Noteverything could be written here for the whole world to see..
But you are wrong.. we cant cut off the discussion of YK. NOT enough has been said. We cant cover this up like we did with SJ! We have to keep talking about YK until we find out the truth. (and then we will focus on you and your Words of STUPITDY.
anonymous,
Name calling will get you no where.
I'm not suggesting covering up. I'm suggesting if there is a problem with YK that you report it to the Baltimore Police. Let them investigate. If you are a victim of YK then call Turnaround, MCASA or The Awareness Center they all know how to help you.
What are you going to do with what you determin to be the "truth"? Are you going to take matters into your own hands? Many people are like me and don't support vigilantly activities. Especially when they can turn violent. Better to let law enforcement handle things.
we are taking small steps forward. i was asked to present to the principals association meeting in the next couple of weeks. this came as a direct result of our first rabbi/survivor meeting. i will basically talk about our awareness campaign and our school program that we are in the process of developing. as always, i am open to suggestions and comments. and before you ask... i do believe that eisgrau is supposed to be there and i am very much looking forward to that!
update: last night i presented to the principals association on sexual abuse within our community. i was invited there by Mrs. Schorr who is the principal of Beth Tefilloh. the day schools represented there were: bais medrash and mesivta of baltimore, beth tefilloh, bais yaakov, ner israel, TA, TI, rambam, and the weinberg academy. i left after my presentation, so i do not know yet what the outcome or what sort of discussion occured after i left. they all listened, i think they were pretty shocked. i spoke about how pervasive this problem is, that sexual abuse has no socio-economic or religious boundries. i quoted from R' Dratch (www.jsafe.com). i spoke as a voice for survivors in baltimore. i spoke about juravel and that rabbis were told about hime years ago and because it was dismissed there are numerous more victims. i spoke about the kolko case. i made them aware of the public awareness campaign. Mrs. Schoor supported everything i said and kept them balanced and on point. there were questions of incredible ignorance... "there are that many victims in OUR schools? were these vitims "drifters"? etc. but Mrs. Schorr handled it very well and brought them back to the point that there is a serious problem here and we as a religious community need to set up a centralized and standardized system to train teachers to identify and act on symtoms of abuse, to create protcols for dealing with perpetrators including legal obligations, etc.
if nothing else comes of this, we at least have brought it to the forefront of thier minds and they know that there is an awareness campaign that they cannot stop.
on a personal note: i have reached a point where i need active volunteers to help with the next steps or i will burn out and crash. we all know how overwhelming this can be. if you want to help please contact me yacovsurvivor@yahoo.com
God Bless!
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