Thursday, May 17, 2007

Update: Hershy Worch - The BDSM "rabbi"


It's been awhile since Marc Gafni's friend Hershy Worch has been seen. A friend e-mailed me a youtube video of this alleged serial rapist singing in a synagogue. Over the last many years Worch was forced to leave the Jewish communities of Uganda, Australia, Turkey, and various locations in the US. He currently resides in the orthodox community of Chicago.

Jeremy Hershy Worch was born in Manchester, England, on May 20, 1954. He recieved his smicha (ordaination) from Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach in 1992.

There have been several serious allegations made claiming Reb Hershy's behavior as being predatory, manipulative and sexually abusive. Allegations have been made in while residing in Chicago; from a group from the Hamakom Synagogue in Melbourne, Australia; and from other locations.

Rabbi Worch has been accused of utilizing a mixture of kabbalah, hypno-eroticism and other manipulative techniques to enagage his potential victims prior to sexually assaulting them.

There have been allegations that Reb Hershy creates a cult-like devotion to himself utilizing trance-like-states, guided meditation, hypnosis; all under the guise of kabbalah teachings. Allegedly his MO (modus operandi) has been to use such techniques on women with histories of childhood abuse, so that he can lead them into BDSM (Bondage, Domination, Sadism, Masochism). activities with him.

Rabbi Worch has allegedly written a "BDSM-Kabbalah" and finds his "students" over the internet, primarily through his Livejournal "Kabbalah_101" community.



From The Awareness Center's web page:
CALL TO ACTION: Rabbi Hershy Worch and his new "Yeshiva"

The Awareness Center is DEMANDING the Orthodox Union (OU), the Rabbinic Council of America (RCA) and Alliance for Jewish Renewal (ALEPH) to make a public statements denouncing the actions and behavior of Rabbi Hershy Worch. By not doing so is condoning his behavior, and advocating for hto continue luring in nonobservant women into learning about his "Torah of Desire."

Hershy Worch received his rabbinic ordination from Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, who was considered to be an orthodox rabbi. Recently Worch created his own Yeshiva and is now planning on giving his students his own Rabbinic Ordination.

According to rabbinic resources, the only way to revoke an ordination is for the rabbi who granted the title to revoke it. Since Shlomo Carlebach passed way, it is said there is no way to have his rabbinic title removed. I've also been informed that once individual becomes a rabbi, halachicly he/she can ordain another individual.

In the past the alleged survivors of Rabbi Hershy Worch have spoken to rabbis at both the RCA (Rabbinical Council of America) and also to Rabbis at the CRC (Chicago Rabbinical Council).

Unfortunately because Rabbi Hershy Worch is not a member of either rabbinical organization , the survivors were told that nothing could be done.

Since Shlomo Carlebach gave Hershy Worch a rabbinic ordination, he is consider to be an orthodox rabbi, The Awareness Center is asking that the Orthodox Union, Rabbinical Counsel of America and Alliance for Jewish Renewal hire an agency suggested by The Awareness Center to do an investigation of the claims. Once the investigation is completed, The Awareness Center is demanding that a public statement on their web pages.

The allegations against Rabbi Hershy Worch include Rabbinical Sexual Misconduct and also the claims of his rewriting and misuse of Torah. These claims have been following Hershy Worch around the world for several years.

It is time for the three Jewish organizations to stop passing the buck and do the right thing!

2 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

This rabbi and his new wife attend a group in Chicago called Chicagoland Kinky Jews. They used to meet monthly. Worsch had a meeting at his house which a rabbi found out about. There were many comments and his response to the group was that as a member of the group,no one should be talking about him based on non truths.
He appears to be at his game with no reaction from the Chicago Rabbinate at all. He has a relative in Skokie (son) at the Kollel and a daughter in law now a preschool adm at Arie Crown. He flaunts this info to make him look OK by association.
HMMM could the next religious leaders in the news be Rabbis?

June 24, 2007 7:52 PM  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Halachically, if he and his wife attended that is their business because what happens between a man and a wife in the privacy of their bedroom is holy.

"Rabbi" Yaakov "Jack" Adler is more dangerous. He rapes pregnant women.

October 01, 2007 6:25 AM  

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