Thread #3 - Case of Shmuel Juravel (Baltimore, MD; Savannah, GA)
Due to the volume of postings in thread #2 on Shmuel Juravel, it was time to create a new thread here. Let's continue the discussion here.
If you or anyone you know have have been victimized by Samuel Zev Juravel (AKA: Shmuel Juravel) Contact:
FBI Agent
Scott Sledd
(205) 279-1284
U. S. Postal Inspector
Jeff Arney
(205) 326-2909
Agents from the U.S. Postal Inspection Service and the FBI arrested Shmuel Juravel (Feb. 21, 2005) at a Birmingham hotel after he arranged to have sex with a minor.
Shmuel is the son of Rabbi Moshe and Shulamis Juravel of Baltimore, MD. Rabbi Moshe Juravel is employed by the Torah Institute of Baltimore.
posted by Jewish Survivors at Wednesday, May 03, 2006
90 Comments:
I think you should stop creating new blogs. Many people are technologically impaired and could not figure out that you created this second one. as a result, they stopped participating in the blog. I informed one or two people of this second thread and some people have started checking it out. But each time you start a new thread we lose participants. Please STOP! I know you wrote that there is a new thread, but some people don't read that stuff. Less people will post here.
I sent this letter to Phil Jacobs at the Baltimore Jewish times. I urge everyone here to write similar letters and post them. His e-mail address is: editor@jewishtimes.com
Here was my e-mail:
BS’D
Dear Mr. Jacobs:
The scandal that was born in your community regarding Shmuel Juravel is extremely disturbing. Even more disturbing, however, is the lack of coverage of the matter in your publication. There are entire websites dedicated to this scandal. Non-Jewish newspapers have covered the story, and yet, Baltimore, the beginning of this horrific story, pretends it never happened. There have been several posts about you in particular and how you refuse to cover this story. You certainly cover other stories about other Jews troubles and misdeeds. Why the silence? Do you have a special affinity for child molesters? That might actually make sense since it is beginning to seem like child molesters/pedophiles make up a large part of your community and probably your readership.
Before, the story was only about this sad problem-child molesters. But the lack of response by the Baltimore community has become the story outside of Baltimore. Neither you nor the Rabbis in your city are aware of how much damage you have done to the reputation of your Jewish community by shoving this story under the carpet. I just do not understand why you would not cover this story. The word on the street is that the Rabbis have you by the Matzah Balls and that they will not let you pursue this story or any other involving Baltimore Rabbis. I hear that there are quite a few stories of this nature in your city, and thus, there is certainly plenty to cover.
This problem of molestation amongst supposedly frum Jews is not unique to Baltimore. What is unique, however, are the cover-ups. I urge you to stop contributing to the downfall of your community. Your silence is part of the problem. Since you do not cover it, your felloe neighbors act like the problem does not exist. Who do you think you are fooling besides your naïve readers? Because of the Juravel story, everyone now knows about the problem in your city. After all, Juravel is being charged in Baltimore, Savannah, Alabama and Wyoming.
Soon everyone will know about the Baltimore cover-ups. Many already do. This could very well be the downfall of what was once a great Jewish community. I know many people that have pledged to boycott your community and your yeshivas until Baltimore confronts this problem openly. By that time, however, it might be too late for Baltimore. In the end, Baltimore will fall apart not because of the tragic events that the city covered up. Rather, the city will fall apart because of the cover-up itself.
A Former Reader and Subscriber
P.S. I am posting this letter on the internet on various blogs.
You do not have to be a tech wizard to do this. All you have to do is click on this info at the bottom until it is highlighted, right click COPY and paste it to your internet address bar and hit ENTER! Old computer, new computer, the rules of copy and paste are quite simple. If you cannot copy and paste just use your fingers to type the info below and it will take you there. You can even save it in your favorites and it will get you there with the click of a button. An old computer NEEDS these new threads in order to hold all the information.
http://jewishsurvivors.blogspot.com/2006/05/thread-3-case-of-shmuel-juravel.html
Miriam,
It's common knowledge that YK introduced SJ to his wife. I also want to stress that it was common knowledge that YK knew about the past allegations against SJ at the time of the introductions. The problem was that YK did not feel they were real. He did NOT believe the warnings.
My heart goes out his wife and her family. They definitely did NOT deserve to have to go through what they are now faced with. The only benefit that I can see that came out of all of this is that his wife has some beautiful children in her life now. They are truly special. I pray all the time that they were never abused by him, and that they will grow up happy and healthy. They have a long road ahead of them.
The problem Baltimore and Savannah faces, along with many other communities is an old one. No one wants to get involved when allegations of child abuse are being made, especially when the allegations are of sexual abuse or assault. It's so much easier to bury your head in the sand. Who wants to believe a trusted friend is a sex offender or their own child?
Both the communities in Savannah and Baltimore need to be educated. We need to learn the signs and symptoms of someone who is being abused. We also need to learn about the different types of sex offenders.
I've been in contact with The Awareness Center. They have been extremely helpful to me and my family in understanding what we are dealing with. I'm hoping that they will be able to come to our shul to do an educational program. If we need the education, I'm sure you community does too.
To everyone who read my e-mail to Phil Jacobs, the editor of the Baltimore Jewish Times:
I wanted to keep you abreast of my communications with Mr. Jacobs. Mr. Jacobs has responded to my e-mail. I am not sure whether his response was a positive one; however, out of respect to Mr. Jacobs, who took the courtesy to respond, I will not post his response at this time. Instead, I will reserve judgement until I find out whether Mr. Jacobs' response has any grounding or whether it is just a farce. It is evident, however, that Mr. Jacobs does read what people send him and that it does make an impression. Hopefully, he will now take steps to help us get the word out.
Please, everyone write Mr. Jacobs and let him now how you feel abuot the BJT and there lack of coverage of the situation. If you wish to remain anonymous, as I did, set-up a yahoo e-mail account. You can make-up a name, an e-mail address, and throw in a fake zip code. This will ensure that you remain completely anonymous and untraceable. It should remain that way as long as you keep your actions legal-which I encourage everyone to do.
Who has more info on when the case is going to trial? are there any lawyers in Savannah who can check a court docket or something?
There's a story floating around town that I think we all have been hearing.
I think it's time that we get to the bottom of the rumors to find out if it is true or not.
There's a man in his late twenties who lives in Baltimore, while he was married to his first wife he was "dating" the babysitter (who was 13 or 14 at the time).
I heard this man has connections to Juravel.
Is this story true?
This person juravel is being held by the Feds in Birmingham and faces a Federal Trial. Only after that trial, will be go to Savannah , Baltimore , and Wyoming to face local charges. If he's found guilty (caught red handed)
he faces up to 70 years in Federal prison without parole and a $750,000 fine. THEN he goes to the other places to face charges. I hope this person never gets out of prison.
Shame on the Baltimore community for being quite in this case and protecting the Rabbi's who surely knew about this person.
They do protect there own,don't they !
Did Juravel work alone? Who was his circle of friends? Were his close friends involved in the same things Juravel was?
I know this will all come out sooner or later. I'm just curious if there's others we need to be concerned with.
Don't know about his friens but I do know that the rabbi in savannah knew or was told about this guy over 5 years ago by three different people,one in person, one over the phone and the third from an unidentified caller to the rabbi. 5 years ago and nothing was done. If the savannah rabbi knew or was for warned, someone in Baltimore had to know of this person. Rabbi's protecting Rabbi's,perverts protecting perverts, I'm disapointed in all.
They have all fallen off their pedistal's..perhaps I shouldn't have placed them there in the first place. No more rabbi's..just Hasham..
How did the meeting go last night in Baltimore? Where the rabbis receptive? How many survivors showed up?
i have no words to express the courage of and the gratitude i feel towards the 18 survivors who shared thier stories last night. i am truly humbled and overwhelmed. thank you for saying yes. thank you for joining together. you have already made a difference in my life. there were three rabbis there, all who have since called me to express their gratitude and extend thier open invitations to continue thier support all in public forums. please, send me your email addresses so i can add you to my mailing list and keep you all informed when the next meeting is, what else we will be doing, and resources for us to tap into. thank you again.
humbly yours, yacov
yacov,
there were only 2 rabbis at the meeting last night. Remember? One couldn't make it due to a schedualing conflict.
There was a woman there from a school, but I don't believe she was a rabbi.
Let's make sure the facts are correct. We want our rabbis to be accountable, we better be too.
you are correct. i was just bundling rabbis and educators together for brevity.
In response to the comment in regards to SJs friends and the connections he had... Will someone please explain to us what is molestation and how to report it? If more people would file against these sexual predators it wouldn't ever escalate to this magnitude we see with SJ. Sometimes these sick-people prime their victims and don't go as far as actually raping them, for some reason or other. I would think the FBI and/or police would also gladly welcome complaints from victims (yes they are real victims - their innocence was still shattered) before it actually extends as far as rape. Sometimes children are primed for months before something happens. We need to take responsibility and stop this epidemic against our still trusting and naive children. Will someone who knows the law please elaborate in reference to these issues. Thank you.
I wanted to make sure everyone is aware that the State of Maryland is one of the four worst states in having laws that protect children. I just found the following article that I thought would be helpful.
Someone asked about how to report child abuse and how to define child molestation. I'm going to answer that question in a minute. I just thought you would all find this old Baltimore Sun article interesting.
-------------
Child abuse prosecution depends on variables
By Sarah Koenig
Baltimore Sun - June 12, 2002
Catholic school teacher David Czajkowski was accused this year of molesting students in his classroom at St. Thomas Aquinas School in Hampden. The Rev. Maurice J. Blackwell was accused in 1993 of molesting a teen-age parishioner in the rectory at St. Edward Roman Catholic Church in West Baltimore.
The circumstances were essentially the same: Both men were accused of touching children for sexual gratification. But the outcomes were vastly different. Armed with solid evidence, prosecutors secured a guilty plea of child sexual abuse May 31 from Czajkowski. However, Blackwell was never charged although investigators believed the story of his accuser, Dontee D. Stokes, who said Blackwell touched him over a three-year period, starting when Stokes was 14 or 15.
Stokes, now 26, has been indicted on charges including first-degree attempted murder. He is accused of shooting Blackwell three times last month, after confronting the priest outside Blackwell's Reservoir Hill home and demanding an apology.
The divergent endings underscore variables that affect prosecution of child sex abuse, which law enforcement experts count among the toughest crimes to handle.
Because such crimes are usually committed in secret and often are reported well after they occur, many times they lack witnesses and forensic evidence. As a result, child sex abuse cases frequently come down to credibility: the child's word against that of an adult -- and sometimes a well-respected, trusted adult such as a teacher, police officer or clergyman.
Combined, these factors are forbidding, said Susan Kreston, deputy director of the Virginia-based National Center for Prosecution of Child Abuse.
"Generally across the country, child sexual abuse is one of the most difficult types of cases to prosecute," she said.
Some children aren't supported -- or believed -- by their parents. And something else sets apart child sex abuse from other cases: Prosecutors must assess whether putting a child before a skeptical jury and the possibility of a not-guilty verdict is worth the risk of inflicting additional psychological damage.
Complicating matters further is that child victims are often too traumatized to make effective witnesses, or too terrified to face their abusers.
"I had a child in here the other day who said, 'There's no way I'm testifying. I don't care if it means that he gets to walk away. It's too scary,'" said Betsy Offermann, a clinical social worker who runs a treatment clinic for sexually abused children at Kennedy Krieger Family Center.
Part of Offermann's job is to prepare children for the likelihood that their abusers won't be punished.
"Justice is just not a big part of the reality for kids who have been sexually abused," she said.
One in three girls and one in eight boys have an unwanted sexual experience by the time they are 21, and about one in 10 children will tell an adult, according to Peggy Mainor, director of the Baltimore Child Abuse Center.
Of those cases that are reported, a small percentage make it to court. The child abuse center interviews about 1,100 children in connection with sexual abuse and assault each year. City police say they handled 768 child sexual abuse cases in 2000.
That year, the city state's attorney's office prosecuted about 245 such cases, said Althea Handy, who heads the sex offense unit. Her office was unable to furnish information about what happened in those cases.
In the Czajkowski investigation, detectives put together an ironclad case. A 9-year-old girl spoke up immediately in February after the teacher touched her back under her shirt and rubbed her chest area. Because it happened during class, other children witnessed it.
The girl -- and about 40 other fourth- and fifth-grade pupils of Czajkowski -- were quickly interviewed by a social worker or psychologist at the child abuse center, which was started in 1996 to help streamline the investigative process so that children weren't forced to tell their stories repeatedly.
The interviews, which would have taken detectives many months before the center's founding, led to at least 10 other girls who corroborated the initial victim's story. Some said Czajkowski would write problems high on the blackboard and then lift them, touching their chests as he did so. Further cementing the cases was that the girls were credible and willing to testify.
Finally, Czajkowski was repentant. He confessed to detectives that he touched the initial victim, and admitted that he had sexual fantasies about many of the girls in his class. He will be sentenced in August.
By comparison, Stokes' 1993 case seems threadbare. No one saw the alleged touching happen. Detectives conducted about a dozen interviews, but failed to drum up other alleged victims or witnesses. The child abuse center didn't exist, and so it could not help with the interviews -- a delicate process that can mean the difference between a strong case and an anemic one.
And Blackwell, a popular West Baltimore clergyman, denied Stokes' allegations. After about six weeks, prosecutors and detectives closed the investigation, which boiled down to a frustrating standoff between a priest's word against that of a teen-ager.
Depending on the individuals involved, prosecutors sometimes do pursue cases in which the sole evidence is the child's story. In such cases, the biggest hurdle for prosecutors can be the jury, Handy said, especially in "touching" cases such as that of Stokes.
"A lot of people don't take that so seriously," she said. "We take it very seriously, but unfortunately we have had difficulty getting indictments on cases like that."
Many adults have a hard time believing children, especially when they don't report abuse right away. Handy's unit unsuccessfully prosecuted a recent sexual abuse case in which a girl's sister had witnessed the alleged crime.
Prosecutors asked jurors why they acquitted the defendant.
"One of the comments was, 'Well, children lie,'" Handy said.
Nationally, over the past decade, prosecutors and police -- as they have become better educated about child sex abuse -- have brought more cases to trial, Kreston said.
The advent of DNA evidence has helped, and so has a greater understanding of how children react to abuse.
"We can now put an expert on the witness stand to explain these counterintuitive things to the jury, like why there might be a delay in reporting," Kreston said. Or why a traumatized child might talk about the abuse dispassionately.
In addition, prosecutors are asking potential jurors better questions during jury selection, such as, "Would you believe a child over an adult?" And investigators are getting better at interviewing children by not asking leading questions or using double negatives in a sentence.
Mainor, of the child abuse center, said cases like those of Czajkowski and Blackwell can be hard to prove because they challenge people's most basic beliefs: for one, that perpetrators cannot be well-liked pillars of the community yet capable of heinous crimes.
"These people don't look like monsters," she said of defendants. "They're going to be ordinary people, often whom we trust. So it goes to the core of people's feeling of safety in the world. They just don't want to believe this could happen."
Regarding Maryland- I was told that Montgomery County, MD has one of the best Child Welfare Service Departments in the country. I had heard that their investigators actually train other investigators in other major cities and states. Is this true?
I was told that they are very thorough in that county (much more so than Baltimore) and when they convict it's 100% and when they exonnerate it's also 100%.
Maybe it's just Baltimore that is the problem?
"Montgomery County, MD has one of the best Child Welfare Service Departments in the country"
Actually you are wrong. Montgomery County has one of the worst records in prosecuting cases of childhood sexual abuse. Just talk to any organization that advocates for the rights of children in the State of Maryland. They will tell you. It's not just prosecuting cases of sexual abuse, it's prosecuting any form of child abuse or neglect.
Maryland is known to be a "sex offender friendly state".
You want to know about the state of Maryland's ability to protect children? You should contact Ellen Mugman
http://www.mddailyrecord.com/top100w/04mugmon.html
Writing about Maryland as being friendly to sex offenders ; how about all that knew this person juravel..and the cover up and silence taking place about this person..from his parents, rabbi's , family , friends, et.al.
Sort of sick. No one knows nothing
even though they all knew.
Wyoming..what in the world was he doing in Wyoming..no one knows..Gee mom and dad, I think I'll go to Wyoming..OK son,good idea..call us when you get back. by the way, how are you going to make a living ?..no one know nothing. not even the savannah rabbi who was for warned 5 years ago but no one knows nothing..
the grand cover-up..
I just read the article on the link about bullying. I really think this like is right on target:
"I once read some where that "it takes a village to raise a child." The same is true for a sex offender."
If you haven't read the article yet, you should read it immediately.
http://jewishsurvivors.blogspot.com/2006/02/bullying-intimidation-extortion.html
to me that the protection offered to "frum" people runs deep. The rabbi's protect their own..almost like a secret society. Face it,it's true.
Hasham will know what to do with each and every one of them and most likely make "true" believers out of them. The FBI will also make believers out of them.
What can you say,The Rabbis dropped the ball.This would never happen if Rabbi Ahron Feldman was here earlier
Any one know when the person juravel is going to trial ?
How long can the government hold a person before they go to trial. This person juravel has been in jail since the last of February.
The rabbi's didn't drop the ball. They KEPT the ball in there court.
In the juravel case, trying for a grand cover-up. I hope it doesn't work. I believe the FBI will get to the bottom of it all and the grand coverup will be exposed.
Do you think that the rabbis who originally covered up the Juravel case in Baltimore will be subpoenaed to testify?
I think they should charged with aiding and abiding a criminal. I personally hold them responsible for all of the assaults that occurred after the first one they learned of.
Do you think the Juravel survivors will file a civil suit against Juravel and the rabbonim who protected him all these years?
SJ will have a hearing on May 25th where he will state his plea with a trial date of June 5th.
I sure hope the survivors file a civil suit against all the rabbi's that knew or had been warned about this person juravel..from the rabbi's in baltimore to the rabbi in savannah, who was forwarned 5 years ago as to the character of this person and yet did nothing about it..in fact, had this person juravel leading the shul on shabbos.
No one noticed that this juravel person didn't dovin when he came to Shul, all he did was politic amoung the big shots..I hope the FBI will uncover it all.
I do not wish to point fingers nor shift blame. I grew up a rocks distance from S.Z. Jurvael. And while I am suprised to learn about his abuses, I am not shocked.
Talmudical Acadmey employed a Rabbi Zayan who molested children in front of other teachers and in private for many years. Only recently did he leave his post there.
S.Z. Jurvael came from a home of teachers... it is not rare in in the Orthodox community to cover up for eachother and to ignore tabboos such as this. Is it not possible that S.Z.J. was molested as a child, his father ignored it and here we are at the present?
I no longer live in Baltimore, but as a Rabbi I implore and call on our communities to no longer hide the horrific abuses and actions of these peoples.
Pulpit Rabbis, community leaders, print and other media, parents- all must act responsible and stop aiding in these sins. You must have the courage to say enough is enough- I am not going to allow a R. Zayin to move to Atlana and hurt children there. No, I am going to stop it now, here in Baltimore, and everywhere else that this occurs.
If you know and you do not stop it- you are an accomplice to a sin. This is simple Halachic Law. Feeling sympathetic does not mean to be a deaf mute. The Church has suffered because of an unwillingness to expose the sex abusers in their communities. The Jewish community (not only orthodox) is setting a sad example for the next generation by shutting their eyes to these missdeeds. How many more of our innocent youth must suffer because we do not want to shame a fellow congregant?
May G-d bring to justice those who act injust. And may we "the stiff necked people" stop being such pushovers. Open your minds, your hearts and your mouths, please.
I am not sure exactly what the Savannah Rabbi knew about Juravel's past. It seems that the claims that he knew exactly what was wrong with Juravel, without any proof, are hearsay. How do you know exactly what he was told? How do you know exactly what he knew?
Also, it may not be a good thing to do, but politicing in shul is not a crime and I do not think that is what the FBI will be focusing on. Many people politic with Big Shots in shul. SJ may be a scumbag, but politicing in shul has nothing to do with him being a child molestor.
Judge him for his horrific acts, not because he wanted to move his way up in the business world. It seems that some people are jealous of SJ's business success. Apparently, he is a pretty smart guy and he knows how to get places with people. Doing that to further his business success should not be something that we focus on. Using his social skills to rob little boys of their innocence is the problem.
That last comment just kind of
rambled, rambled, rambled on...
Don't people realize that your credibility depends almost entirely on your presentation ESPECIALLY when you remain ANONYMOUS (like me) or adopt names like "Moses".
Perhaps as the real "Moses", you need someone to be your "mouthpiece" like Aharon.
And why name names on this website without proof?
You mean Rabbi Zayan who was shipped to Savannah from Baltimore was also a child moletor? I have heard rumors about this. I even heard that many kids knew Zayan was moleting children in TA? How could this happen? Does anyone know if children in Savannah were molested by Rabbi Zayan? This is sick. I hear Zayan is now suffering really bad from dialysis. Maybe this is punishment for using his organs against children.
Mr. Anonymous Mouthpeice,
What kind of proof are you looking for? Many TA students claim that Zayan molested them. Many people know that he was a sick molestor. The rumors are that he was shipped out of Baltimore for awhile to keep things off the radar. That is how he ended up in other cities, including SAVANNAH. Now Zayan is back in Baltimore.
Are you really so ignorant that you do not think that Zayan molested? Why should he not be named? Do you need a Polaroid with him with his pants down? I doubt you will get the hard evidence you seek. MAy molestors do not publicize their misdeeds.
Is everyone starting to see a trend here. 1)Baltimore Rabbi or other person molests; 2)Molestor is shipped out of Baltimore to some other city for awhile to keep things hush hush (in SJ and Zayan case, Savannah); 3)Molestor keeps molesting. This must end.
This is not about me, and my given name actually happens to be moses aaron.
If you need proof to knock someone out-make sure you have it before you swing. I haven't hit anyone and we have our proof.
The point here is- had I known what was happening to my neighbor, I'd have done something. That might mean opening my mouth or helping a friend.
Action on all levels has to be taken to insure that our children feel safe, even while in exile. Monsters are real, and if people here have felt they have known for a decade about SZJ- they should ask themselves: What did I/am I doing about it? Educate parents, children will then make the right moves.
I am sorry for all those hurt, in any State or country. Please find ways to remain positive and stay just as you root out evil from the world. Even your own- (Jewish)
No, it's not against the law to politic in the Shul..BUT it does /
did set a pattern about this person juravel. He was a controlling person, from the work that he did at the Shul, he always had to be "the person" in charge, to the children he abused, to the
person that made his suits, all being controlled by this person juravel.He set a controlling pattern in life, to control all.clients,family,associates, family,and CHILDREN. He raised money,blinded all because of that fact and Hasham finally said enough is enough. He got caught.
Now is will be controlled by the bubba's !
I was under the impression that Shul was a place to go to pray to Hasham, period. I didn't realize that it was a place to politic, to enhance business, to seek out children. This person juravel did everything but pray when he was in Shul. He walked around, talked, interupted people as they were praying. All were afraid to say anything because of his marriage connenction, becazuse he raised money; but underneath it all, dwelt
this evil person.You can fool the people, but you can't fool Hasham..He didn't know that but sure found out.
What is Shmuel's family connections? What makes them so important? I don't know but am interested.
I know his father teaches at TI and his uncle is Rabbi Dovid Juravel who makes the tapes. What other connections does he have?
I just goofed. I was googling dovid juravel and accidently wrote david.
This came up:
David Juravel (Actor, The Erotic World of Angel Cash (1982)).
Are they related?
Is Juravel also related to Rebbitzen Chana Juravel?
What role has Rabbi Neuberger been playing in all of this? I know he's been protecting YK. Did he have a role in protecting Shmuel too?
YK never molested anyone. He does know how to groom teenage girls though. I heard all he did was manipulate a teenage girl into kissing him, even though he was a married man.
Kissing is not molestation. My bet is that things could have gone farther then they did, but they didn't.
A married man kissing a teenage girl that he's not married to violates halacha, but I don't believe a crime was committed in the state of Maryland.
What do you mean by "grooming"?
YOU KNOW HE KISSED A TEENAGE GIRL??!! and you think there is NOTHING wrong with that?! How do you KNOW this and also know there was nothing else?!! This is absolutely APPALING my heart is beating like crazy. This is exactly the problem! How does a married frum man come to a point where he is kissing teenagers and the public KNOWS this and even goes as far as defending this sick man?!!
how can anyone say YK did not molest anyone yet knows how to groom, or whatever that word means, teenage girls? Obviously you know a lot here and are trying to defend another frum child molestor. Is he bribing you too? maybe you are a rabbi?
yk manipulated a teenage girl into kissing him...
did he come and tell you this? or was it the teenage girl?
what about this babysitter he married? was she also manipulated? did he manipulate her into getting pregnant before he decided he has to marry her?
"Kissing is not molestation. My bet is that things could have gone farther then they did, but they didn't."
man if this is not someone trying to protect another one of those molestors...
you are right though, kissing is not molestation. Taking off your pants isn't molestation either! It all depends what you do around that and how you do it and where you do it!!
so even though he is married now with his babysitter he is going around kissing teenagers?! who is this guy?
Let me explain what I meant to say regarding YK. From the story I heard and what I've been reading on The Awareness Center's site, I believe that he would have gone all the way with the teenage girl if he had the chance.
Grooming takes awhile. It doesn't happen over night.
If this allegation actually did happen I'm appauled. A married man has no right to kiss a teenage girl that he's not married to, especially if he's frum.
If the allegations are correct, the girl is very fortunate that is all that happened. On the other hand if he would have done more criminal charges could have been pressed against him.
Either way, the girl needs support. If this happened she was manipulated.
I think we should all ask Rabbi Neuberger about the allegations made against YK. I believe he's the rav that YK uses.
".. I believe that he would have gone all the way with the teenage girl if he had the chance."
at the same time you go on saying ...
"if the allegations are correct, the girl is very fortunate that is all that happened. On the other hand if he would have done more criminal charges could have been pressed against him.
Either way, the girl needs support. If this happened she was manipulated."
Whoever you are ... you obviously know details. You are either YK or just trying to protect him. Which ever one I think people reading all this would agree you are just the same -- a sinner.
because if you know he only kissed her but it would have gone farther and I'm sure you also heard of the other rumors OBVIOUSLY he is a man of sickly traits. and we need to protect our kids because he may have groomed or will groom them and it will go all the way...
pure sickness. utter disgrace to the jewish community for defending a sick sick man.
If YK did these things, shunning isn't the answer. It's obvious he has a serious problem. The solution is doing everyting in our power to get him the proper help. He needs to be in therapy with someoen who specializes working with those who offend.
So often in our communities our ravs just send offenders to frum therapists. The problem is that our frum therapists are NOT trained in working with offenders, so the problem continues.
As a community we need to help all individuals. We need to escort them to their therapy appointments, we need to provide them with special minyans so that they can daven without children being present.
Shunning them or chasing them out of town is NOT the answer.
We do need to hold our rabbis accountable to make sure these things happen though.
yeah lets all go ask R Nueberger... because this is the rav he "uses"
hows 8 pm sound to all you guys?
tonight?
PS bring some money if you want him to be the rabbi you "use" too! if you can afford it... that is...
Are you also suggesting we should make posters that say "take an offender to therapy day"?
therapy for this sick guy? how about filing a report mr. knows it was only kissing. whatever else you are holding back -- you may be charged as an accomplice... depending what state it was in since you did mention it was not in the State of Maryland...
anyway, why are you so hung on the kissing case? I heard there were quite a few things going around about this thing that walks on the same streets of our innocent children...
What shul does YK daven in? Are there young teenage girls there too?
I think he daven's at Suburban, is that correct? If he does is r silber aware of all of this?
"chasing them out of town..." I did hear he liquidated his assets and planned to leave town. Is he moving to Savanah? or just skipping straight to Alabama? Seriously, where is he going?
I feel so bad for his new wife. I can't even begin to imagine what she must be going through if she learns about all of this. Especially with a baby on the way.
Does anyone know if she's already aware? Do her parents know?
If YK won't let her be alone, maybe someone should contact her family and let them know. I'm sure they can talk to her privately.
yeah lets get another rabbi involved to help us out like we have been doing for generations...
so listen people - who care to make a difference -- after we put up "therapy day signs" and go to R' Neuberger we knock on R silber's door... That way we can help our community fight against child molestors!
gosh, i hope people start funding the awarness center. we really need help here... can people learn common sense? or is stupidity an inherent trait that can not be changed.
yeah contact the parents of this poor babysitter/new wife that is now carrying another one of his three children... great idea...
I can't believe this craziness. I'm sure her parents already spoke to r neuberger about this...
rumors have it that YK is leaving for Israel. Can anyone confirm that?
This person juravel married a fine young woman from a fine family in Savannah. The family is very active and supports the Shul in Savannah. A powerfull family that uses their power only for the good of the community. This person juravel mis-used their power to abuse the community. The family opened doors for this juravel person that would not have been opened other than for the family connection. This person juravel is evil personified..He deserves to be where he is, for a long time.
I'm not talking about contacting Juravel's family. I'm talking about contacting YK's new wife's family.
Juravel and YK are very much alike. The only difference is Juravel likes boys, and YK likes girls.
YK also married a very fine young woman from an exceptionally wonderful family.
"gosh, i hope people start funding the awarness center. we really need help here... can people learn common sense? or is stupidity an inherent trait that can not be changed."
Hate to tell you this -- common sense isn't all that common.
yk's new wife apparently is the babysitter... guess someone should have told her parents when he was "grooming" her.
yeah... i feel very bad for her too...
I think someone should start a jewishsurvivors blogspot thread 5 for the YK case...
Who is this YK guy?
This is all lashon hara. Look at what you are doing to an innocent man.
to Mr. It's Lashon Hara:
the people posting here are posting despite the fact that it may be lashon hara since we feel it's important to bring these things out in the open so that other innocent people are not hurt.
if you are of this opinion that this is lashon hara without a purpose, go away. this is not the place for you.
In response to the Awareness Center Post:
Yes, this happens in many communities, not just Baltimore. But, the problem is not as concentrated as in Baltimore and other communities do not go to such lengths to protect molestors and victimize the ones molested.
Finger pointing and spreading chaos that is heresay is not what the intended goal of this blog (as far as I can tell) is. I mentioned a man by name not to predict why it is that he is suffering from life threatning illness. But in order to allow others the sense of security needed in order to share their pain or the sadness they know of.
With all of my fond memories of TA, I can not forgive those that ignored the abuses that went on. A lot of mudd is going to get thrown and if that brings us to a safer place- good. But while unearthing the dirt, try not to lower yourself.
i would like to update everyone on what has been accomplished and what the next steps are.
on sunday may 7, 18 survivors met with 2 rabbis and one educator here in baltimore. we shared our stories for three hours. for me personally it was incredibly intense and healing.
some of us had never shared about our abuse before. others had thought we were "finished" healing only to realize differently.
we aged from teens to mid-fifties. our abuses ranged from fondling to gang-rape, in the community and outside. non-observant to frum and that was just in the 18 of us. we are a drop in the bucket.
there are many more survivors out there. we were sucsessful in educating our 3 "students".
one of the rabbis said that a perpetrator has a halachik status of a murdrer and therefore we NEED to go to the police and file reports. and that there are NO issues with lashon hara or chilul hashem. we have commitments from them to take action in a public way to help make a change in this community. so here are the next steps:
1) another meeting for survivors and a few more rabbis is being scheduled.
2)we are in the process of putting together a program to speak in the "frum" schools.
3) a group of clinicians are coming together to educate the rabbis from thier side.
4) a central hotline for survivors is in the early stages of planning.
if you really want to make a difference, come join this effort. volunteer to share your story with a rabbi who WANTS to listen. share your story with 300 children who are the same age as you were when this shit happened. or help behind the scenes, but help!
if you dont know me yet and you want to check me out the folks at the sidran foundation and the awareness center both know me. please help us make a positive longterm change.
lets stay focused on the solutions and stop living as victims. if we want things to be different it MUST START WITH US!
once again, thank you to all of you that did come to the meeting!
mom and teacher..
my sons told me what r'zayon had done in school andit was intepreted as affection when he ran his hand downtheir backs in class. only many years later did one of my boys tell me that it was uncomfortable and he toldhim to stop and all r' zayon did was laugh. i firmly believe that hashem is taking care of r' zayon and we should leave him alone; i dont think he molested th eway we assusme he did and it was inaaproproiate on his part; it made the child uncomfortable and he should have stopped; regardig juravel, a young woman in baltimre accused her father r' e. of molesting and fondling his students and noone believed her; SZJ was one of those boys. from my research and education i have gleaned that molesters are not born they are moslested at a very young age and have conflicting emotions as they mature; they especially in th eorthodox community have/had noone to turn to and the emotions fester; especially for frum pple who are not allowed to have se w/theri legitimate partners for 2 weeks of the month.... they have no healthy guidance where to turn to get help. SZJ had the postential to be a wonderful person but someone and i believe firmly rabbi e. who ives on glen ave. had the opportunity to hurt molest repestedly SZJ. i know that if SZJ is found guilty he will facepersonal punishment and his family will suffer forever, i pray SZJ gets help, he was like a son to me, I pray he denounces Rabbi E. and every teacher he had who introduce dhim to this ugly path. he is still a yidishe neshama and needs our prayers that whoever he hurt has a yeshua. lets use this space to daaven for his victims and him.. i assure you he is a victimand i hope the elders in thsi case get wht they deserve.
I have been following this thread closely for the past couple of weeks and I want to share some of my thoughts and what I know. First of all about the "Lashon Hara" - If you are really worried about that, then why are you reading this thread? You shouldn't even be on this site!!! There is defenitly alot of Lashon hara here but it's all for a purpose and the gole is to uncover the TRUTH which will save our children. If there is something that is being said about certain people like YK, by more than one person, then there is some truth to it and we have to uncover it. This whole issue of "frum" people molesting children in our communities has been a problem that was ignored for to long. We have to start removing these thorns from our bushes.
Now I will tell you what I know. YK's new wife was groomed and her family is aware about the allegations against YK. Don't forget she was the babysiter. Her family was warned!!!
About Rabbi Shargie Neuberger - He officiated at YK first wedding and apparently YK has been using R. Neuberger as his rav. Rabbi N. also officiated at YK's second wedding.
Is this why people are suggesting that Rabbi N. is "supporting" YK?
I know Rabbi N. and I know for a fact that he would not "support" YK if he had evidance that the allegations against YK are true. Which takes me back to the Lashon hara issue. If you have some info that you would like to share about people who might be molesters then do so. But PLEASE be careful before you start naming names of important Rabbi's in our community and putting allegations against them.
May Hashem protect our children.
SJ is NOT a child. He did not molest his victims when he was a child and therefore he is responsible for what he did. END OF STORY! If SJ was allegedly molested by Rabbi E. years ago than that's very sad but that CAN'T be used to protect SJ now.
Besides, if you are suggesting that it's not SJ's fault for molesting children since he was allegedly molested by Rabbi E, then who are you going to blame? You can't blame Rabbi E. because poor Rabbi E. was probably molested when he was a child. Get my point? So please STOP defending SJ and others like him.
I'm angry and confused and dis-illisioned with the rabbi's. It seems they protect there own , rather then face the facts as they are. I always have held my head high, thinking we Jews are different than everyone, you know, the Chosen People. Please ! I now see the light; see the corruption within the ranks of the rabbi's, protecting their lot..I'm one Jew who in order to maintain my relationship with Hasham, will go my own way, without the rabbi's, the frumies, the yeshiva's, and trust no one, especially the rabbi's whom I used to hold in high esteem. As far as juravel is concerned, as another poster said, he's evil, simple as that. I have no pity on him. He is what he is.
In response to mom and teacher:
Like you, I have been doing my research ever since the Juravel story broke. As soon as I learned about all of the allegations against R' Eisgrau, I had a feeling that there was a connection. I knew right away that Juravel was molested as a child. I never would have looked for it before, but many things he told me over the past few years, especially when it came to the subject of his opinion of Baltimore, just make sense now that all of this has come to the surface. After asking around, I learned from many people that Juravel was sent to Eisgrau when he was younger. Many said that Eisgrau likely molested him. Indeed, several of Eisgrau's other students, many Juravel's age and older, claim that Eisgrau molested them. This story needs to be exposed once again. This time something needs to be done. We must defeat the Rabbis and bring Eisgrau down. He is currently the principal of a school filled with children. If we do not do something now, a whole new generation of Eisgrau victims could eventually become Juravel/molestors.
Calling out Eisgrau will be difficult. Look at what the big Rabbis-Hopfer and Heinemann did when Eisgrau's daughter accused him of molesting her. They ruined her life, although she seems to have picked up the pieces ever since. All of this must be stopped and it must start with Eisgrau.
Also, you are right. We should daven for Juravel and his victims. But remember, whether or not SZJ is like a son, he is where he belongs and what he did was wrong. Yes, he was a victim. But he could have chosen not to become a molestor. It is very sad that this had to happen to him. The only thing that we can do now for SZJ is bring down his molestor-Eisgrau. This is not just to correct an injustice. This will help eliminate the source of the problem.
To the mom and teacher: I'm afraid I can't agree with you. I have only negative feelings towards SZJ.He knew what he was doing, no matter what the reason behind it, he knew. He ruined the lives of many children as well as adults. He was the one that abandoned Hashem, hiding under his tallis,pretending to be a frum person. As another person stated, he is an evil person. I have no pity towards him and I can't forgive him..won't forgive him.
I trust he will be taken out of
society for a long time and rightfully so.His wardrobe of suits should be burned and not given to charity as whomever were to receive them, would be to good to wear his clothes.
in response to why am i recreating?
the reality is that we are accomplishing our goals a lot quicker than either the awareness center or the sidran foundation. that being said we are also using the resources that both of them have available. baltimore needs to hear from baltimorians not from outsiders. we need to acknowledge from within our own that we have a problem and take responsibilty to make the necessary changes. maybe we are accomplishing so quickly because of the years of footwork from others, maybe because we have no red-tape, no board of directors and dont need any money. each of the aforementioned organizations have their own philosophies and operating goals. some people think the sidran foundation just collects money and sits on thier ass, accomplishing nothing. some people think the awareness center posts irresponsibly without subsantial proof. here is my truth:both organization have incredible resources and thier own way of accomplishing what they believe to be the best way to help survivors and protect the innocent. thats wonderful! we are coming from a place of positive, long term change. and we are doing what is necessary to educate the baltimore community about sexual abuse thru its rabbis and educators.(who really NEED an education!)and they are coming forward to learn. we are just another resource. the more help we as survivors have, the better. as mentioned earlier, all are welcome to participate less the ego and agendas. and many have accepted including both organizations. we are networking with each other to help survivors. and thats what really matters.
Is Silence Really Golden at The Baltimore Jewish Times
Am I the only one who has noticed that since the Juravel case broke there has not been one mention of the case in the Baltimore Jewish Times? The case broke back on March 1, 2006. Today is May 15th. Over two months have passed and nothing!
What can we expect? The Jewish Times has yet to publish a story about many of the frum offenders in our community. They have no problem reporting on non-orthodox cases though.
Do you remember how the Baltimore Times handled the case of Matis Weinberg (son of the Rosh Yeshiva and Chana Weinberg). Matis grew up in Baltimore. It's where he started to molest boys.
The Baltimore Jewish Times republished parts of the article published by the Jewish Week in NY.
http://www.jewishtimes.com/scripts/edition.pl?now=5/25/1999&SubSectionID=48&ID=2105
There was also was the article "Condemning Abuse - Weinberg family takes action to protect victims of abuse." The problem is that the Weinberg's have never apologized to the survivor of their son in which they took an active role covering up.
http://theawarenesscenter.org/weinberg_matis.html#Condemning
There has never been an article in the Jewish Times regarding Rabbi Eliezer Eisgrau. I have heard from many that Phil Jacobs interviewed many people on this case, and has much more then enough information to write a story, yet has been holding back for years.
The Baltimore Jewish Times has never done a story regarding Benyamin Fleischman who is a photographer. According to The Awareness Center's web page: is frequently commissioned to do jobs outside of the state of Maryland (including outside of the US). His probation order permits him to travel. Please note that his work in the past has included weddings (with children present), Bar and Bat Mitzvahs -- There is a new trend that is happening all over the country (U.S.) Many alleged offender are pleading guilty to a lessor charge, so that the plea agreement will include a stipulation that a convicted sex offenders will not have to be placed on the states sex offenders registry. When this happens it puts the entire community (or in this case children in other countries) at risk of harm.
There's also the case of Aron Goldberger who was chased out of Baltimore over ten years ago. He moved to Israel and has recently returned to his old life.
The list goes on and on.
Phil Jacobs is the editor of the Baltimore Jewish Times. He is also a facilitator of a men's peer survivors support group. According to his bio at the paper he is a volunteer for the Northwest Citizens Patrol, which is based at Rabbi Heinemann's shul and daven's at Rabbi Goldberger's shul.
I wonder what influence the rav's of Baltimore have on Phil Jacobs writing about abuse in the orthodox world in Baltimore?
FACT: 99% of the rabbis who have worked in the Savannah day school or Kollel and in many other communities came there by way of
Torah U'Mesorah-The Association of American Jewish Day Schools.
One of their directors worked in Savannah many years ago and they call him for names. He in turn, encourages people who are interested to go there.
I doubt he had anything to do with Juravel who wasn't a teacher, but does an organization like that require anything more than a mere reference from another educator or Principal before placing someone?
Do these organizations run criminal checks? JSAFE...this is a good place to begin.
First of all miriam and yakov, great job! keep it up both of you. I agree, we definately need to use as many resources as possible and also some achdus in am yisrael would help us all.
secondly, i would also like the "friendly" hotline number. I need some emotional support in order to file against yk. I must say I have kept my mouth shut long enough not wanting to be re-victimized and also terrified of the subsequent repercussions of going public...
Now that I also have the full support of a loving soul mate and knowing all of you are there doing it too, I am gathering strength...
thank you all.
yacov and Marian,
I keep hearding rumors that chana weinberg held a survivors meeting at her home. Is this true?
I was sickened by the thought. I'm sure if she did, the other survivors who attended were unaware of the years she covered up for her son Matis, and also for many other sex offenders she is associated with.
Chana Weinberg is part of the problem. I hate to wake you all up but so are many of the Jewish institutions in Baltimore.
Besides being a survivor of sexual abuse, I'm also a survivor of various organization associated with the Associated. I also went to my rabbi for help and was told things would be taken care of. I'm still waiting for that to happen.
I've been asking various people about the shofar coaltion which is being organized by the sidran foundation. I have to tell you the same names keep coming up. I don't want anything to do with them.
If you are associated with them, I can't be a part of what you are doing.
"Phil Jacobs is the editor of the Baltimore Jewish Times. He is also a facilitator of a men's peer survivors support group."
I keep reading over the comment that Phil Jacobs is a facilitator of a men's support group. I kept asking myself what education or training does he have to do this? Then it dawned on me he must be a survivor.
Phil, if you are a survivor stop protecting offenders! You are in a position to make a difference.
Can you imagine if someone else was abused by the same person who abused you went to a paper and it was exposed prior to your abuse?
Please stop being afraid. Use your power and influence to make a difference. You have nothing to loose, except your victim-hood.
yacov,
If phil jacobs is a part of your group why don't you encourage him to write about abuse in the orthodox community of Baltimore?
This would be a major accomplishment. I know of another group that tried to make this happen but failed. I've been told they gave Phil many leads, yet he did nothing.
If phil is running the peer group for male survivors of sexual abuse, it's obvious he's a part of sidran and the shofar coalition.
Phil Jacobs has a way to break the taboo and speak out. He has a way to protect unsuspecting children from being abuse, and been refusing to tell the stories.
Remember keeping the silence is one of the major obstacles all survivors are forced to face.
mom and teacher..
i may have been misunderstood; i do not condone what zevi, (thats how i know him) did; zevis punishment will be from Hashem, the courts and hisown conscince; but and i am very insistent with this; zevi did not become perverted on his own! this took a childhood of abuse aand neglect and ignorence; but....the Juravels are very sincire devoted parents and if they had known about any abuse he suffered as a child they would have acted upon it. i believe very firmly they he was abused my teacher(s) in his young years and a young mind does notknow how to interpret the fondling etc that was done to him. correctly he made his adult choices and the mind works in mysterious ways; i believe that zevi wanted to get caught; living a double life is beyond stressful; the adults who mistreated him must be held liable; this case does not begin and end with zevi; zevi is responsible and must suffer the consequensesof his decisions; but please all agenciesmust run after and arrest or do whatever it takes to get the pple who started him in this. i will continue to say tehilim for him and not for the adults who did this to him they also had decisions to make. i was molested at a very young age; at the age of 5 my uncle molested me, my parents knew and my grandparents threw my parents and children out of their home. they said my mom had a dirty mind and becuase my parents werent frum they blamed whateverhappened to me was my fault. my grandparents behaved frum but were in denial about their son. fast forward 5 years later and when my dad died my moms family paid no attention except the uncle who molested me, they came to help and his son my cousin molested me. i told my mom and she threw them out of the huse. but counseling was not then as it is today and i carried this problem with me for years. but i did not repeat the pattern, you are right we have choices. but i had supportive parents and i dont think zevis parents took him seriosuly r maybe he didnt feel close enuf to tell them. whatever, please davven for zevi, he is also a victim; he will be punished, but he has a neshama please daaven and move beyond anger; please daaven that the 2 teachers one is aprincipal now please daaven that the truth come out and they be stripped of thier positions etc.
To miriam who attacked the awareness center,
To spite you, I'm donating 36 dollars to Vicki's effort. BTW I'm a victim of Dr. Mondrowitz who is listed there and another hasidic rabbi who has yet to achieve that dubious destinction.
yacov and miriam,
Did you ever stop to wonder why The Awareness Center needs money?
Why don't you just stop and think for a minute.
Who pays The Awareness Center's phone bill for their "warm line"? How about the cost of printing materials and also postage costs? What about rent and utilities? Then you have to add in the internet cost.
When The Awareness Center does workshops who pays for the speakers transportation and other related costs? Don't forget any other related costs there are to running a grassroots based nonprofit, even if it's all volunteer run.
What you guys are doing is great, but the reality is that you will soon be facing the same challenges as The Awareness Center. Sidran may be doing the right thing by not doing anything until they have millions of dollars put together. So in a few years Sidran may be able to start to taking action.
I said my piece. I would love to hear your response.
i find it intersting to see how this blog unfolds. sometimes its even slightly amusing.
firstly, i will say again that i believe very strongly in the support and work that the awerness center is doing. i may or may not agree with thier philosophy and that is my personal take on it.
donate your time and money to any organization that you feel is worthy, please. i have spoken to vicki many times and i will continue to maintain a relationship with her.
the awareness center has a tremendous amount of resources for survivors. i find it intersting that comments are being directed to myself and miriam. she is right,by the way, this will go on with or with out me. and that is exactly as it should be.
for mr. Anonymous asking about phil jacobs...
you have to be off your rocker if you think i'm going to break anyones anonymity! and therefore i will not comment , if i even have a personal connection to mr. jacobs, if i know whether or not he is a survivor, if he is or isnt working on a story, or anything regarding him.
now, would i like to see something in print about sexual abuse? you bet! do i think it will happen? i think it will.
to the survivor who wants nothing to do with the sidran foundation....
we are not affiliated with any organization. we do reach out and use all the resources available to us, including (but not limted to!)the sidran foundation. you a welcome to eamil me with any questions or concerns.
i dont know that i will be able to answer you, but i will certainly try.
as for me, sometimes i think we get in the way of ourselves. we are angry and hurt, been abondoned and mistreated and many other things. and sometimes we get caught up in that. but there is a whole world right here in baltimore full of decent, caring people. people who are not perfect and have made mistakes (just like me!. maybe we should give these people the chance to make amends. (and NO, i am NOT talking about perpetrators!)just my opinion here.
<< Home