WARNING: Chabad of Southern Nevada seems to have the "Blame the Victim" mentality

Michael Segelstein was originally arraigned on one count each of attempted sexual assault, battery with intent to commit sexual assault and open and gross lewdness. He pled guilty as part of a plea agreement to open or gross lewdness, received one year suspended sentence with conditions and court ordered into counseling and was discharged from probation on December 2, 2005. He still faces a civil trial. Last I checked pre-trial was scheduled for April 24, 2006 at 09:30 AM and trial was set for May 1, 2006 at 09:30 AM.

All one needs to do is view the photographs taken on December 11, 2005 at Chabad of Southern Nevada's 15th year celebration. You will see that Michael Segelstein is still a trusted and honored member of this Chabad community.

Remember Michael Segelstein has been on both the Florida and National Sex Offender's registry since January 15, 2004.

Rabbi Shea Harlig is responsible for the synagogue in which Michael Segelstein attends. Neither he or the synagogue have set up any protocols to keep it's member safe. Michael Segelstein is allowed to walk around the shul unescorted. Remember the assault in which Segelstein pled guilty occurred in the synagogue's parking lot. They are putting women at risk of potential harm.

The administration at Chabad of Southern Nevada desperately need to be educated on issues pertaining to sexual violence (addressing the needs of victim/survivors, and issues addressing sex offenders). Demand they have training from the Rape Crisis Center in Las Vegas.

Please contact the international headquarters for Chabad and following Chabad rabbis in Nevada and demand changes be made!



Lubavitch Chabad
770 Eastern Parkway
Brooklyn New York 11213
(718) 774-4000 fax: (718) 774-2718
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Rabbi Shea Harlig, Director
Regional Chabad Headquarters
Email: chabadlv@aol.com
1261 S. Arville Street, Las Vegas, Nevada 89102
(702) 259-0770 fax (702) 877-4700
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Rabbi Yisroel Schanowitz, Director
Chabad of Summerlin / Desert Shores
2620 Regatta Drive, Ste. 117, Las Vegas, NV 89128
(702) 242-0015 fax (702) 877-4700
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Rabbi Mendy Harlig, Director
Chabad of Green Valley
10870 S. Eastern, Ste. 1074, Henderson, NV 89052
(702) 617-0770 fax (702) 617-0707
-------


Rabbi Tzvi Brochtain
Chabad at the University of Nevada (UNLV)
1261 S. Arville St., Las Vegas, NV 89102
(702) 259-0770, ext. 204

Part 2: Rabbi Shea Harlig (Chabad of Southern Las Vegas) Vs. A Rape Victim

The Convicted Sex Offender
Cantor Michael Segelstein

The Rabbis


Rabbi Krinsky / Rabbi Shea Harlig

The Politicians

Judge Timothy C. Williams /Rep. Shelley Berkley /

The following was posted in the comment section of Failed Messiah's posting on Chabad of Southern Nevada. I thought it was important and wanted it to be easier to be found.

Posted by: Dovid| June 22, 2007 at 01:48 AM

In this case legal fees were awarded because the victims lawyer did not do any depositions and or discovery and the victim was not allowed discovery ever it was closed by Judges who had recived donations.

The victim (of cantor Michael Segelstein) then became a victim in what is called Civil Conspiarcy, falling as I understand under RICO laws. Starting with a sex crime, civil conspicarys and ending in bankruptcy.

The sex offender by records at district records in this case filed bankruptcy a few days before trial and advoiding a fair trial for the victim and that just happened to be after he had just been released by the State of Nevada Correction Probation Department and he completed that as State records show on line.

As I read by motions at the court house:

Victim was taken and driven by an employees car from one law firm to another law firm who was to take the case for the victim. Because that law firm leading manager shareholder was the President of the shul were the sexual assult happened. Conflict of Interest.

The next week that same law firm took the case for Chabad against the victim Conflict of Interest. Maybe Planned.

Conflict of Interest and Torts to a vcitim of a sex crime and insult to injury as I have been told. What a crime of corruption I belive.

The legal fees were paid for by SAFECO/AMERICAN a Sexual Molostation Insurance Policy in which the Catholics use as well for a free pass. Las Vegas Chabad must have on record by District Court Motions the same insurance company and they just happen to have this on hand for this case and this is a free pass to do what you want and cost Chabad nothing.

What a way to play with human lives and victims lives and cost you nothing.

In this case everyone in Las Vegas knows there were donation sheets in the Judge name that had been donated from the lawyers for Chabad and inside of the camp.

Conflict of Interest and not disclosed to the victim that Conflict of Interest by donation to the Judges be exposed to her. They were keept secert. Not giving victim the right to refuse the Judge. Who would want a Judge like that over your case.

The claims in the legal fees were not for frivolous. As I understand and think in my own mind a way to get a victim to back down from there maybe Federal case which should be filed at once in federal Court.

Clergy abuse statue is extended in Federal Courts.

Victim I guess was under the due care of Chabad it seems. Her trust I take it in them was breached by fiducary duty and or I take it negigenced by Chabad is in the thoughts of any victim if this happened to your family? Word is she trusted Chabad many have made that mistake. Poor girl what a shock.

Rape is when something that is inserted as I understand right?

Were you there?

Were you invovled?

Did you see these crime?

Did you help protect anything in this case?

What is with this "Chabaddick" in a religious parking lot. What was he thinking?

Word has in in court on line records that "plea bargins" were in this case.

What a crime I belive this to be out right Exploting and Extortion of a victim in my belifs.

Well if semon is on the victim? I'M not a FBI AGENT who is invovled in criminal justice. To me just common thoughts. But it sounds like a free pass to rape if you are spilling your seeds. As well that is against American law and Halakha to a married woman not your wife!

Lets face it if semon was on the victim. One thing for sure the semon did not come from Lilith traveling around and put on a Jewess in a Temple parking lot. Right?

The question is do you know what happened and how is was done?

Contact Information for Judge Tim Williams
DEPARTMENT 16
Judicial Executive Assistant - Lynn Berkheimer 671-4406

The "honorable" Rabbi Shea Harlig, and his buddy Michael Segelstein

Rabbi Shea Harlig's highly respected friend -- Chazzen Michael Segelstein, is seen below reading the megelliah (back in 2000). One year later Segelstein commits a sex crime.


Here is another photograph of the honored member of Chabad in Las Vegas at another Chabad sponsored function this year.
.

Court documents state that the alleged victim told police that Segelstein accosted her as she was leaving the shul on April 4, 2001. She said he pushed her up against the car and she fell while trying to escape. Segelstein is alleged to have kissed and groped her against her wishes, telling her in crude language he wanted to have sex with her.

Due to her religious beliefs, the woman went to rabbi, Rabbi Harlig, to report this incident," the court document states. The woman is an Orthodox Jew. Orthodox Jews are encouraged to keep matters pertaining to other Jews within the Jewish community." The victim told police that Segelstein apologized for his behavior, but she took the matter to the Chabad's national headquarters in New York.

It's so wonderful that Rabbi Harlig can embrace a man who pled guilty to lessor charges of a sex crime. Yet to this day has never offered any support to an orthodox woman who is a survivor of a violent sex crime.''

Michael Segelstein was originally arraigned on one count each of attempted sexual assault, battery with intent to commit sexual assault and open and gross lewdness.

On December 19, 2002, Michael Segelstein pled guilty to open or gross lewdness, in which he received one year suspended sentence with conditions and court ordered into counseling. According to court documents, Segelstein's probation was successfully completed. He has since been discharged. A civil suit is currently pending.

Call for Action: Questions for Rabbi Shea Harlig of Chabad of Las Vegas
Please write or call Rabbi Shea Harlig, and ask him the following questions:

http://ww.chabadlv.org

Michael Segelstein was originally arraigned on one count each of attempted sexual assault, battery with intent to commit sexual assault and open and gross lewdness.

On December 19, 2002, Michael Segelstein pled guilty to open or gross lewdness, in which he received one year suspended sentence with conditions and court ordered into counseling. According to court documents, Segelstein's probation was successfully completed. He has since been discharged. A civil suit is currently pending.

1. Considering Michael Segelstein was originally arraigned on one count each of attempted sexual assault, battery with intent to commit sexual assault and open and gross lewdness, later plead guilty to the lessor charge -- and a case is still being heard in Civil Court -- do you think it's appropriate for Chabad of Southern Nevada to have a photograph of him on their web page celebrating you fifteenth anniversary?

2. Are women safe in your shul? Does anyone monitor Segelstein when he is in your facility, or in the parking lot?

3. What sort of support has Rabbi Harlig and the congregation of Chabad of Southern Nevada offered to Segelstein's survivor (especially after Segelstein entered a guilty plea)?

4. What sort of education or training does Rabbi Harlig have in working with survivors of sexual violence and or sex offenders?

5. Is Chabad of Las Vegas a haven for alleged sexual predators?

Please contact Rabbi Shea Harlig and let your voice be heard!

Rabbi Shea Harlig, Director

Email: chabadlv@aol.com

1261 S. Arville Street, Las Vegas, Nevada 89102

(702) 259-0770 fax (702) 877-4700

Murder of Jewish college students leaves their communities stunned

Carol Kestenbaum, left, and Nicole Schiffman

BEHIND THE HEADLINES
Murder of Jewish college students
leaves their communities stunned
By Jacob Berkman
JTA
February 21, 2007



NEW YORK (JTA) – Communities in New York, Arizona and Maryland are reeling after two Jewish college sophomores were gunned down at Arizona State University.

Carol Kestenbaum and Nicole Schiffman, both from Long Island, had been best friends since high school and were out celebrating Kestenbaum’s 20th birthday at ASU, where the Bellmore resident was an education major. Schiffman, of Merrick, had flown to Tempe from Maryland, where she was a journalism student at the University of Maryland.

According to reports, the two women returned to Kestenbaum’s apartment at an off-campus complex just after 4 a.m. on Feb. 18. Joshua Mendel, 22, had been waiting for them in the parking lot for hours with two loaded weapons. He was upset that Kestenbaum had warned his girlfriend, Alexandra Wake, 19, to stop seeing him.

According to police, Mendel fired on the two women without warning, shooting Kestenbaum in the head and Schiffman in the back as she tried to run. Mendel walked away from the bodies, then shot himself.

Police said Mendel was a student at nearby Collins College, a graphic design school. It’s not known if he was Jewish.

The three bodies were found in a line, with Mendel about 15 feet away from the women.

Kestenbaum and Mendel were pronounced dead at the scene. Schiffman died about an hour after the shooting at a nearby hospital.

“I have never seen such pain in anyone’s face as I’m seeing in the mom,” Schiffman’s aunt, Carolyn Cohen, told JTA in a telephone interview Tuesday from the Schiffman home in Merrick. “As much as all of us are in pain, the pain of a mom losing her daughter you just never want to experience.”

Schiffman attended several Chabad events with her sorority, Phi Sigma Sigma. Kestenbaum’s mother is the president of the Reform Sha’arei Shalom Temple in Merrick.

Neither woman was particularly involved in the Chabad houses at their schools, but the Chabad network was instrumental in ensuring that their post-mortem Jewish needs were met, according to Cohen.

The families called Rabbi Shmuel Teichtel, executive director of the Chabad Jewish Student Center at ASU, shortly after they learned of their daughters’ deaths Sunday afternoon.

Teichtel went to the Tempe medical examiner’s office to make sure that in accordance with Jewish law, no autopsy was performed.

“There is a concept called kavod ha’met that the body came into this world whole and that it should return to the earth whole,” he told JTA. “Once you do an autopsy, you can’t do that.”

Teichtel then accompanied the bodies to the Sinai mortuary in Phoenix, where he, his assistant rabbi and an ASU student sat with the bodies and recited Psalms over them in accordance with the Jewish belief that a body should not be left alone until it is buried.

Chabad and the Hillel houses at ASU and the University of Maryland are working with the administrations of both campuses to provide grief counseling for friends of the women.

Teichtel accompanied the bodies to the airport, and they were flown to New York on Monday. The women will be buried side-by-side Wednesday.

Kestenbaum knew the assailant only peripherally. Recently, however, Kestenbaum had told her mother, Rita, that she had warned Wake, her friend and former roommate, about Mendel, according to longtime family friend Lori Fontana.

“It was just one young woman telling a friend, ‘He’s no good. He’s a creep. What are you doing with him? He is too possessive,’ ” Fontana told JTA in a phone interview from the Kestenbaum home.
But that’s the type of person Kestenbaum was, “just a lovely, lovely person inside and out, who adored all of her friends,” said Fontana, who has known Kestenbaum’s parents, Rita and Ronald, and her two brothers for 20 years. “There is a hole in this family now.”

The Kestenbaums will start a charitable foundation in Carol’s honor.

Schiffman was the youngest of three children of Ron and Cheryl, a lawyer and dental hygienist, respectively. She was remembered by her sisters in Phi Sigma Sigma as a good friend with a wonderful sense of humor and a beautiful smile.

“Only Nicole would fly thousands of miles across the country to be there with one of her best friends to celebrate a birthday,” Rebecca Stern said in a release from the sorority.

Cohen said the gap in the close-knit family will be immeasurable.

She recalled Nicole as one of the younger cousins who would stage plays and play tricks on her grandma Esther when the family came together for Jewish holidays, and as one of her favorite campers at Camp Lokanda, a Jewish camp in upstate New York where Cohen is a head counselor.
“At her bat mitzvah she sang beautifully,” Cohen said. “She was magnificent at her prom, and she was a beautiful writer. She was so beautiful.”

At the funeral, Schiffman’s family will read a poem she wrote titled “War.”

“It’s about life and the senseless loss of life,” Cohen said, choking up over the phone. “We are going to miss her. We are just going to miss our kid. She was our baby.”

Call for Action: Questions Needed To Be Asked, And Answered By Rabbi Shea Harlig of Chabad Souther Nevada (Las Vegas)

From: The Awareness Center, Inc.

Please write or call Rabbi Shea Harlig, and ask him the following questions:
Chazzen (Cantor) Michael Segelstein was originally arraigned on one count each of attempted sexual assault, battery with intent to commit sexual assault and open and gross lewdness.

On December 19, 2002, Cantor Michael Segelstein pled guilty to open or gross lewdness, in which he received one year suspended sentence with conditions and court ordered into counseling. According to court documents, Segelstein's probation was successfully completed. He has since been discharged. A civil suit is currently pending.

1. Considering Michael Segelstein was originally arraigned on one count each of attempted sexual assault, battery with intent to commit sexual assault and open and gross lewdness, later plead guilty to the lessor charge -- and a case is still being heard in Civil Court -- do you think it's appropriate for Chabad of Southern Nevada to have a photograph of him on their web page celebrating their fifteenth anniversary?

2. Are women safe in your shul? Does anyone monitor Segelstein when he is in your facility, or in the parking lot?

3. What sort of support has Rabbi Harlig and the congregation of Chabad of Southern Nevada offered to Segelstein's survivor (especially after Segelstein entered a guilty plea)?

4. What sort of education or training does Rabbi Harlig have in working with survivors of sexual violence and or sex offenders?

5. Is Chabad of Las Vegas a haven for alleged sexual predators?

Please contact Rabbi Shea Harlig and let your voice be heard!
Rabbi Shea Harlig, Director
Email: chabadlv@aol.com
1261 S. Arville Street, Las Vegas, Nevada 89102
(702) 259-0770 fax (702) 877-4700

Please cc your letters to Jewish Survivors and also to The Awareness Center, Inc.
Also send a copy of your letter to Chabad in New York

Please forward all letters of support to the Survivor (of Cantor MIchael Segelstein) to Vicki Polin. She will forward your note to her.

Ex-Chabad Rabbi, Chaim Capland arrested for Soliciting Prostitutes in 1995

$5.8 million in earnings
Major bingo hall run by rabbi
State can't ask charities where the money goes
by Alayna Demartini
Columbus Distpatch
December 2, 2007

The BT Bingo center is in an older building at 1300 Alum Creek Dr. The place is open every day for traditional and instant bingo, which benefits Beth Torah Congregation House of Tradition.

Ohio's most lucrative bingo game benefits a synagogue that has 65 members and shares an East Side storefront with a kosher caterer.

Beth Torah Congregation House of Tradition took in almost $5.8 million in bingo earnings last year, state records show. That's about $4 million more than the next-largest bingo operator in the state.
As a nonprofit religious organization, the synagogue doesn't have to tell the state or the IRS how it spends the money. Lawyers for the synagogue say it all goes to religious and charitable work, but they offer few specifics.

"It's not anybody's business," synagogue attorney J. Anthony Kington said. "The rabbi is accountable to people in the church, and they are comfortable with the rabbi."

Rabbi Chaim Capland leads the synagogue, which holds services in the back of the catering business owned by his wife, Chani, at 2942 E. Broad St. He left the Schottenstein Chabad House at Ohio State University in 1995 after his second arrest for soliciting prostitutes. He was convicted of both misdemeanor offenses.

Michael Broidy, a member of the board of trustees of the Schottenstein Chabad House, said Capland is not affiliated with OSU's Chabad or the international organization, although the sign in front of Capland's synagogue says Chabad Torah Center. Chabad is a Hasidic branch of Judaism that runs thousands of centers around the world in outreach to Jewish communities.

"We all know about him," Broidy said of Capland. "We just don't know exactly what he's involved in."

Kington said some of the bingo profit goes to Chani's Catering, which helps the synagogue's charitable mission by providing kosher food to the community. Customers pay for the food, he said, but the catering has operated at a loss since it opened 16 years ago. He would not say how much of a loss.

Chani's Catering is on probation with the Columbus Health Department. Inspectors found repeated violations last summer, including improperly cleaned and prepared food. The probation is to end in January.

The catering service gives thousands of dollars of food to needy families, Kington said, and the synagogue provides free counseling, seminars in Jewish law and weekly services.

The synagogue's bingo operation, BT Bingo, doesn't really make the $5.8 million it reports to the state, he said. State rules don't allow Beth Torah to deduct from its report such expenses as insurance, building maintenance and door prizes.

After those expenses, Kington said, the bingo game cleared about $2 million last year.

The state limits what bingo operators can deduct because some were shaving too many expenses off the profit they reported to the state, said Monica Moloney, an assistant chief in the charitable-law section of the Ohio attorney general's office.

Besides allowable deductions, such as the cost of security, raffle prizes and bingo equipment, the synagogue has to tell the attorney general's office how much money the bingo games generate but not how it is spent.

The state requires that religious organizations use all the profit for charitable purposes, including keeping the money, but doesn't require details.

Last year, the state began visiting bingo games to check financial records. They're not audits, but examinations of some records of income and expense.

"It's a testing process," Moloney said. "It's not going through every document they have and re-creating their books."

The inspectors eventually will visit each of the state's 1,870 bingo operations at least twice a year, she said.

Unless it's a church or synagogue, a nonprofit organization that runs bingo must itemize to the IRS how much it makes and how the money is spent.

Federal laws are geared toward not interfering with how religious organizations are run, including how they spend their money, said Barbara Clemenson, an instructor at the Mandel Center for Nonprofit Organizations at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.

"(But) those who are ethical will be forthcoming. If you have nothing to hide, you won't hide."

Advocate for Kids, a nonprofit Columbus organization, was the second-most lucrative bingo operation in Ohio last year, with $1.9 million in reported earnings, according to the attorney general's records.

Michael Repas, the agency's executive director, detailed how last year's bingo profit was spent. Half of the money went to an endowment fund to pay for future grants to organizations that serve children with medical or behavioral problems.

An additional $200,000 paid for deaf children in Ohio to attend summer camp. Repas said he was paid $99,000 last year.

"Bingo has been a great thing for charities in Ohio," he said.

Kington, the attorney for Beth Torah, would not say what Capland is paid or provide the name of anyone who received free services from the synagogue's charitable contributions.

Capland declined to be interviewed by The Dispatch. "He's a private man," Kington said.

The synagogue's bingo games run every day of the year in an old factory building that Beth Torah owns at 1300 Alum Creek Dr. While traditional bingo is played twice a week, instant-bingo tickets are sold every day until midnight or 2 a.m. BT Bingo nets about $5,500 a day, according to figures Kington provided.

The highest profit in bingo is generated by instant bingo, in which people purchase paper $1 tickets that have flaps they rip open to see whether they have won up to $500.

Tear-off tickets accounted for more than 99 percent of BT Bingo's profit last year, state records show.

BT Bingo operates as a private club. You can't get in unless you pay $10 for an annual membership card and show a state photo ID. Once inside, players have to spend at least $20 on traditional or instant bingo.

On a recent Wednesday afternoon, 172 people played traditional bingo and bought instant tickets from the sellers who paced the hall.

Just before the second round of bingo began, the first door prize was offered: a stainless steel roaster oven. Perfect for a Thanksgiving Day turkey, the announcer said.

Someone else went home with an iPod. Another player won a camera. The winners of each round of traditional bingo split the prize money of $100 to $1,000. Sixteen people divided $250, leaving each with $15.63 to tuck into a wallet.

Cantor Michael Segelstein and Chabad of Southern Nevada

Cantor Michael Segelstein

Should a convicted sex offender who's on the national sex offender registry be allowed on Purim to be drunk and performing in front of children? I guess the Chabad of Southern Nevada thinks it's ok.
Cantor Michael Segelstein is the one on the right wearing a suit.

CALL TO ACTION from The Awareness Center:

Originally arraigned on one count each of attempted sexual assault, battery with intent to commit sexual assault and open and gross lewdness. Segelstein pled guilty as part of a plea agreement to open or gross lewdness, received one year suspended sentence with conditions and court ordered into counseling and was discharged from probation on December 2, 2005.

Michael Alan Segelstein is currently on both the Flordia and National Sex Offender registries.

CALL TO ACTION: With the information provided above one has to be concerned for the saftey of the women at Chabad of Southern Nevada. It appears that Michael Segelstein is an honored member of Chabad of Southern Nevada. Please contact Rabbi Shea Harlig and let your voice be heard!

Rabbi Shea Harlig, Director

Email: chabadlv@aol.com

1261 S. Arville Street, Las Vegas, Nevada 89102

(702) 259-0770 fax (702) 877-4700

Which Rabbis Make Up The Vaad of Baltimore?

Does anyone have a complete list of individuals who are on the Vaad of Baltimore. I'll add names as they come in. Please e-mail anyone who is missing.

Below are the names I'm aware of.

1. Rabbi Elan Adler, Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah Hebrew Congregation
2. Rabbi Reuben Arieh, Ohr HaMizrach Congregation
3. Rabbi Menachem Goldberger, Congregation Tiferes Yisroel
4. Rabbi Emanuel Goldfeiz, Congregation Beit Yaakov
5. Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb, Cong. Shmorei Emunah
6. Rabbi Moshe Hauer, Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion
7. Rabbi Dovid Haber, KAYTT and Star-K
8. Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, Agudath Israel of Baltimore and Star-K
9. Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer, Sheiris Yisroel
10. Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan, Chabad Lubavitch of Baltimore
11. Rabbi Nesanel Kostelitz, Machzikei Torah Congregation and the Community Kollel
12. Rabbi Chaim Landau, Ner Tamid
13. Rabbi Elchonon Lisbon, Bais Lubavitch - Chabad of Park Heights
    
14. Rabbi Sheftel Neuberger, Ner Israel Rabbinical College and High School
    
15. Rabbi Gavriel Newman, Beth Jacob Congregation
    
16. Rabbi Shlomo Salfer, Winands Road Synagogue Center
17. Rabbi Jonathan Seidemann, Kehilath B'nai Torah
18. Rabbi Simcha Shafran, Adath Yeshurun and the Bais Din of Baltimore
19. Rabbi Mordechai Shuchatowitz, Agudath Israel of Greenspring and Av Beis Din of Baltimore
20. Rabbi Shmuel Silber, Suburban Orthodox
21. Rabbi Amrom Taub, Arugas Habosem Congregation
22. Rabbi Y. Zvi Weiss, Bais Haknesses of Baltimore
23. Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg, Beth Tfiloh

Rabbi Shea Harlig and Chabad of Southern Las Vegas Vs. A Rape Victim

Rabbi Harlig is attempting to sue a rape victim for attorney fees. This is a rape victim of a convicted sex offender who is on the national sex offender list. Right before Passover, 2007 Rabbi Harlig is seen at the US House of Representatives. The rape victim in this case has been trying to fight the corruption in Las Vegas for the last several years. What chance does she have when she's fighting the mob?

Here's a video of Harlig's Chabad of Southern Nevada (Las Vegas). The same location where a crime was committed.

Case of Rabbi Yisroel Shapiro: Demanding Transparency and Accountability from our Religious Leaders in Baltimore!

CALL TO ACTION: Case of Rabbi Yisroel Shapiro

Demanding Transparency and Accountability from our Religious Leaders!

The Awareness Center, Inc.
(the international Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse/Assault)
P.O. Box 65273, Baltimore, MD 21209
www.theawarenesscenter.org
443-857-5560

Download Call For Action

December 28, 2007

Back on April 11, 2007, the Vaad HaRabbonim/Rabbinical Council of Greater Baltimore signed a letter and made public a statement about dealing with "Abuse in Our Community".

To this day the members of the Vaad who signed the letter have not been held accountable for the issues they addressed. For the last four years the rabbonim of Baltimore have been aware that allegations were made against Rabbi Yisroel Shapiro, yet did nothing more then have him stop teaching bar mitzvah students -- and then helped in arranging for this alleged sex offender to have a job working for Wasserman and Lemberger's. The status quo in the Baltimore community has been to ensure those who are alleged to have molested children have a way to make a living, yet doing nothing to help those who have been sexually violated.

It's a well known fact in the orthodox community of Baltimore that Yisroel Shapiro daven's (prays) at Congregation Darchi Tzedek synagogue, located on Seven Mile Lane. This is a synagogue in which children can be seen running in and out of. One would think that Rabbi Yaakov Horowitz's first concern would be to make sure the children of his shul were protected and to start asking if any children might have already been molested so that he could assist in them getting help. To this day Rabbi Yaakov Horowitz has never issued public statement warning his congregants of the fact that Shapiro was arrested and charged with child molestation. Unless a parent read The Awareness Center's web page, has been reading blogs or another parent told them, they are unaware that there is an alleged sexual predator amongst them.

The Awareness Center is asking that everyone contact Rabbi Yaakov Horowitz and the Baltimore Vaad HaRabbonim Rabbinical and ask them to:

1. Make public the plan they established to notify parents in the community of the potential dangers of their children being left alone with Rabbi Yisroel Shapiro.

2. We are also asking that this statement include the safety plan created when Yisroel Shapiro is davening at Darchi Tzedek or any synagogue.
   

3. They also need to make public the safety plan they established for Wasserman's and Lemberger," the retail business in which Shapiro is employed and also for any other public location Shapiro may enter.

Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer - President

Vaad Harabbonim of Baltimore

410-358-3450

Rabbi Yaakov Horowitz

Congregation Darchei Tzedek

410-653-1688

410-486-0445 (Rabbi Horowitz)

7307 7 Mile Lane

Pikesville, MD 21208

Members of the Vaad HaRabbonim

1. Rabbi Elan Adler, Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah Hebrew Congregation

2. Rabbi Reuben Arieh, Ohr HaMizrach Congregation

3. Rabbi Menachem Goldberger, Congregation Tiferes Yisroel

4. Rabbi Emanuel Goldfeiz, Congregation Beit Yaakov

5. Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb, Cong. Shmorei Emunah

6. Rabbi Moshe Hauer, Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion

7. Rabbi Dovid Haber, KAYTT and Star-K

8. Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, Agudath Israel of Baltimore and Star-K

9. Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer, Sheiris Yisroel

10. Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan, Chabad Lubavitch of Baltimore

11. Rabbi Nesanel Kostelitz, Machzikei Torah Congregation and the Community Kollel

12. Rabbi Chaim Landau, Ner Tamid

13. Rabbi Elchonon Lisbon, Bais Lubavitch - Chabad of Park Heights

14. Rabbi Sheftel Neuberger, Ner Israel Rabbinical College and High School

15. Rabbi Gavriel Newman, Beth Jacob Congregation

16. Rabbi Shlomo Salfer, Winands Road Synagogue Center

17. Rabbi Jonathan Seidemann, Kehilath B'nai Torah

18. Rabbi Simcha Shafran, Adath Yeshurun and the Bais Din of Baltimore

19. Rabbi Mordechai Shuchatowitz, Agudath Israel of Greenspring and Av Beis Din of Baltimore

20. Rabbi Shmuel Silber, Suburban Orthodox

21. Rabbi Amrom Taub, Arugas Habosem Congregation

22. Rabbi Y. Zvi Weiss, Bais Haknesses of Baltimore

23. Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg, Beth Tfiloh

Update: Case of Cantor Michael Segelstein

On Thursday, October, 19th, 2006 at 2:00 Cantor Michael Segelstein will be in front of a Federal Judge to have his stay abd protection lifted in bankruptcy and returned back to State Court.

Originally arraigned on one count each of attempted sexual assault, battery with intent to commit sexual assault and open and gross lewdness. He pled guilty as part of a plea agreement to open or gross lewdness, received one year suspended sentence with conditions and court ordered into counseling and was discharged from probation on December 2, 2005. He still faces a civil trial.

Michael Alan Segelstein is currently on the Flordia and National Sex Offender registries.

Call for action: With the information provided above one has to be concerned for the saftey of the women at Chabad of Southern Nevada. It appears that Cantor Michael Segelstein is still considered an honored member of Chabad of Southern Nevada. Please contact Rabbi Shea Harlig and let him know how you feel about that.

Rabbi Shea Harlig - (702) 259-0770

The dangers of doing nothing - Rabbi Hershy Worch

From: The Awareness Center's daily newsletter


Over the last few years The Awareness Center has done what it could to alert the public about the serious allegations made against Rabbi Hershy Worch.

The Awareness Center has had several "Calls to Action" including one requesting the Rabbinical Council of America, the Orthodox Union and the Chicago Rabbinical Council to make a public statement denouncing Hershy Worch's behavior of professional sexual misconduct. Remember Hershy Worch was ordained by Shlomo Carlebach, which makes him an orthodox rabbi. The problem has been is that he does NOT belong to any rabbinical association. Meaning no one wants to get involved. The problem is that "it takes a village to raise a child, including children who grow up to be sex offenders." Hershy Worch is everyone's problem, and as a people we all have a responsibility to protect others from any potential future harm.

The Awareness Center was just made aware that the Jewish Ledger (West Hartford, CT) is promoting a haggadah created by "rabbi" Hershy Worch. I'm sure they are unaware of the serious allegations made against this man. By their promotion of this haggadah may put unsuspecting women at risk of harm. It also may seen as legitimizing his writings. Remember, Hershy Worch is the author of his "Torah of Desire."

The Awareness Center is asking everyone to call and write the Rabbinical Council of America and the Orthodox Union to demand they make a public statement denouncing Rabbi Hershy Worch's behavior; and also the Jewish Ledger to make them aware of the allegations.

Please read the article below and contact the following organizations and individuals below so that your voice can be heard.

Sincerely,
Vicki Polin, MA, ATR, LCPC - Executive Director
The Awareness Center
(the Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse/Assault)
P.O. Box 65273
Baltimore, MD 21209
443-857-5560

___________________________________
Rabbinical Council of America
Rabbi Basil Herring - Executive Vice President
Rabbi Dale Polakoff - President
305 Seventh Avenue, 12th Floor
New York, New York 10001
Phone: 212-807-7888
Fax: 212-727-8452
bherring@rabbis.org
dpolkoff@rabbis.org

Orthodox Union
Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb
execthw@ou.org
212-613-8264

Jewish Ledger
Lisa S. Lenkiewicz - Managing Editor
NRG Connecticut LLC - Publisher
800-286-6397
lisalenkiewicz@jewishledger.com
Nrg41942@aol.com

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.


Online Haggadot - from traditional to build-your-own
By Mark Mietkiewicz
Jewish Ledger - April 6, 2006
http://www.jewishledger.com/articles/2006/04/06/news/news07.txt

Passover is quickly approaching and that means pretty soon you'll be reaching into a familiar drawer and pull out stack of well-worn and slightly wine-stained haggadot. Nothing will ever replace those haggadot and their special memories. But if you take a few minutes on the Internet, you will find many stimulating and provocative on-line haggadot that could give you new insights and make you shine at this year's seders.

Most of the haggadot below are in English, some with Hebrew sections. None require Hebrew fonts. Please be aware that many of these haggadot contain God's name and should be treated accordingly.

Chabad has created a wonderful section about the haggadah. You can go through the seder with an English translation that includes step-by-step instructions. And you can download a pdf file that contains the entire Hebrew text of the haggadah (with Hebrew instructions.) Unfortunately, there is no version at this site that contains both Hebrew and English. [http://tinyurl.com/gq9ab]

For insights into how the seder has been observed in Sephardic homes, take a look at the Sephardi Connection site. For example, among North-African Sephardim, after Mah Nishtana is recited, the seder leader would leave the room and come back with a walking stick and the afikoman in a cloth on his shoulder. The children would ask: "Where are you coming from?" And he would proceed to tell the story of his exodus from Egypt. On the other hand, the haggada adds, "Note: stealing the afikoman is an Ashkenazi tradition." When the Sephardi seder concludes, "some take the haroseth and put it in five places (khamsah) at the entrance of the house (near the mezuzah, on the door posts, etc.) for good luck." [http://tinyurl.com/osuoq]

Several traditional haggadot have been scanned in their entirety and can be downloaded and printed out at the Torah on the Net site. I particularly recommend the 1920 edition that is "Arranged by J.D. Eisenstein" and "Illustrated by LOLA." [http://tinyurl.com/q96rx]

There are many on-line haggadot that represent a great deal of individual effort. Robert Parnes' Hagadais a synthesis of the traditional and the modern and is set out clearly with responsive readings. [http://tinyurl.com/g8qbb]

Another unique version is The Anonymous Haggada: A Synthesis of The Passover Ritual and Liturgy With The Twelve Steps of Recovery By Hershy Worch. Worch draws a parallel between the Israelites' trek to freedom and the modern-day recovery program used by people to free themselves from various addictions and dependencies. [http://jewish.com/modules.php?name=Passover_JACS]

Charles Finn took a decade to put together his companion to the haggadah. Just 16 pages long in Word format, it is mostly in English with some Hebrew text. He has illustrated his work with lovely medieval woodcuts and more contemporary artwork. [http://tinyurl.com/zmc8s]

A bit less traditional but very wonderful site is Uncle Eli's Special-for-Kids Most Fun Ever Under-the-Table Passover Haggadah. Written in the style of Dr. Seuss, Uncle Eli retells the haggadah in a familiar yet unique way:

"Why is it only on Passover night we never know how to do anything right? We don't eat our meals in the regular ways the ways that we do on all other days...Cause on all other nights we may eat all kinds of wonderful good bready treats like big purple pizza that tastes like a pickle crumbly crackers and pink pumpernickel...Yes -- on all other nights we eat all kinds of bread but tonight of all nights we munch matzah instead." [http://tinyurl.com/zxd9x]

If you're planning to lead a seder this year and need a bit of help on your Hebrew pronunciation or want to brush up on a tune, the Virtual Cantor is at your service. (Actually, you're at HIS service.). The Cantor - also known as Josh Sharfman - has recorded the entire traditional haggadah and put in online so that you can listen to it anytime. The seder has been divided into 38 parts (e.g. Dayenu, Fourth Cup, Chad Gadya etc.) so that you can easily jump to any part of the haggadah. And since all the files are in the mp3 format, you can even copy them onto your iPod or mp3 player and review them anywhere. [http://www.virtualcantor.com/haggadah.htm]

After visiting everyone else's haggadah, create your own. The Open Source Haggadah allows you to skim through Hebrew and English text, commentary, songs, readings and rituals, choose the elements that appeal to you, and assemble your own haggadah online. You can even filter texts by affiliation: "Chabad, Conservative, Feminist, Humorous, etc." When you're done, you can print your own haggadah. And if have a favorite custom or commentary you'd like to share, you are encouraged to add it to the site. Please note that this site is free but does require registration. Also, I have had some problems with the display of Hebrew characters on my PC. On my Mac, Hebrew displayed properly. [http://www.opensourcehaggadah.com/]

Mark Mietkiewicz is a Toronto-based Internet producer who writes, lectures and teaches about the Jewish Internet. He can be reached at highway@rogers.com.

IMPORTANT: Excellent Letter from the Vaad Harabbonim of Greater Baltimore

I believe this letter was written as a reaction to a few cases that have recently come out of Baltimore:

1. Shmuel Juravel
2. Rabbi Moshe Eisemann
3. Rabbi Ephraim Shapiro
4. Rabbi Yisroel Shapiro
5. Rabbi Matis Weinberg

The following note comes from Vicki Polin at The Awareness Center:

I want everyone to see the excellent letter that was sent out to the Jewish community of Baltimore. I was totally amazed when I read it.

There are some minor things that need to be address, yet on a whole the letter is what each and every Jewish community should be publishing.

I want to stress that the correct term that should be used when addressing those who commit sexual offences is either "sex offender" or "offender." This will help everyone from distinguishing the difference between those who abuse their spouses.

We also need to be aware that it is not just men who can be "offenders." The Awareness Center has worked with many survivors where the offender was a woman, including mothers. We have also had cases where the offender is a child or adolescent. An example of this is the case of Shmuel Juravel. When the offender is a minor they could be sexually reactive. Another words acting out what's happened to them. In these cases, if caught early enough a child stands a chance of learning new behaviors to cope.

If a parent would like some help in learning how to talk to their children about sexual abuse or if they want books for children to read on the topic, please feel free to contact us and we will do our best to guide you in the right direction. The Awareness Center also posts suggested books on our web page: http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/books.html

I personally want to thank all of the rabbis in the Baltimore community who have signed the letter and also those who have not been given the opportunity yet to sign the letter yet want to. This is a major step in the right direction.

Click here to read the letter

********************

VAAD HARABBONIM
RABBINICAL COUNCIL OF GREATER BALTIMORE

April 11, 2007

Abuse in Our Community

There is no subject more painful for us to discuss than the issue of sexual abuse within our community. Yet at this point we believe it is the subject most necessary to address. We must acknowledge that this horrible form of abuse exists — and has existed for generations — in our community as well. This issue must be confronted directly and we believe that this discussion can be a first step towards the necessary and achievable goal of ridding our community of this scourge.

We feel it essential to discuss this matter directly with you, as the greatest allies of the abuser are ignorance and silence. The abuser preys on people who cannot understand that what he is doing to them is so very wrong. And the abuser thrives in an environment where he is confident that his victims will not report what they have experienced or where their reports of abuse will not be taken seriously. We therefore urge you to discuss this matter in a sensitive and non-alarming manner with your children so that they will clearly understand that they should forcefully refuse and immediately report inappropriate touch. They need to know that should, Heaven forbid, something like this ever occur to them, they will have somewhere to turn. And if they turn to you, you must respond compassionately, deliberately and with competent rabbinic and/or professional guidance, understanding that the thoughtful measure of your response will have enormous impact on your child's future.
We feel additionally compelled to discuss this issue openly in order to assist — in some small way — in the healing of survivors. Abuse often creates terrible confusion in the minds of its victims who may not understand the terrible wrong they have experienced, or who may blame themselves for the abuse. Addressing the issue clearly and definitively allows survivors of abuse to see that our contempt is reserved for those who violated them, whereas they — the survivors — are so richly deserving of our compassion and our respect.

We cannot speak with certainty to the prevalence of abuse in our community. It is clear however that any single abuser will often have many victims. Those who abuse within the family — and this horror absolutely does happen — often victimize numerous family members. A coach, camp counselor, teacher, principal or rabbi who abuses his charges throughout his career has had the opportunity to abuse hundreds of children. We can say without question that across the nation we have had prolific abusers in these positions, and consequently, we have hundreds of survivors in our communities.

The damage that abuse can cause is devastating and potentially life altering: it commonly ruins an individual's sense of self, their ability to trust others, and their ability to engage in a healthy intimate relationship. Furthermore, there is a growing consensus amongst mental health professionals serving the observant community that many of our “teens-at-risk” issues were generated by incidents of abuse, The risks of suicide, alcohol and drug abuse and other self-destructive behaviors are all increased dramatically by abuse.

As such it is already well established by our own Poskim that an abuser is to be considered a Rodef (literally, a pursue"), effectively poised to destroy innocent lives and, therefore, virtually all means may be used to stop him and bring him to justice. Communities and day schools — with the blessing of Gedolei Yisroel — have encouraged and facilitated the reporting of these crimes to the local authorities, who are most equipped to investigate and prosecute these complex claims.

In the past, many mistakes were made in handling these situations. Abusers were often not recognized for what they were, as it was too difficult to believe that otherwise good people could do such things, nor was it sufficiently appreciated what damage such acts could cause. It was often thought that if the abuser was spoken to or warned, and perhaps moved to a different environment, he would never do these things again. In responding this way many terrible mistakes were made arid tragic consequences resulted. We have seen too often the immediate or eventual failure of these “behind-the-scenes agreements” to keep the perpetrators away from others. Naïveté and a lack of understanding of the insidious nature of these perpetrators have allowed the toll of victims to rise. These failures haunt us — but they also motivate us to respond more effectively and wisely in the future.

An abuser is not simply a lustful person, plagued by a Taavah — a desire — that can be addressed with sincere Teshuva. He has a severe illness, that may be incurable, and that is at best enormously difficult to manage. Publicizing his status as an abuser — while causing enormous damage to his own family — may be the only way to truly protect the community from him.

Can we produce the same result — safety for the community — without going public? We do not know if we can. We do know that we as rabbis are not qualified to manage the behavior of such a person such that we can confidently say that he poses no threat to his community. Understanding, treating and managing this illness is a highly complex field that we are not properly trained in. There are specialized professionals in this area whose experience and expertise we must call upon to guide us. They — as experts in this most complex field — may consider specific situations to be safely manageable using a professionally designed — and consistently and vigilantly guided — protocol for the individual abuser. But in many cases the most effective method to protect the community will be in publicizing the abuser’s identity. In all situations we must be mindful that our obligation to protect future potential victims of sexual abuse is paramount.

A final word about false accusations: We are very sensitive about the possibility of false accusations which, themselves, cause enormous pain and damage. This obliges us, therefore, to ensure at the outset that claims and counterclaims are investigated objectively and fairly by those most trained and equipped to do so.

The issues discussed here are most complex and very painful. But they must be discussed and this problem must be addressed.

Allow us to summarize with a few action points.

1. We must educate our children about inappropriate touch, so that they will clearly understand that they should forcefully refuse and immediately report inappropriate touch.
2. Credible concerns of abuse must be reported to the authorities who have the expertise, experience and wisdom to thoroughly and responsibly investigate them. We — as Rabbonim — are committed to facilitating and supporting this process.
3. We must have — and we are in the process of developing — a clear approach to protecting our community, both here and elsewhere, from established or strongly suspected abusers. This approach could possibly include a professionally designed — and consistently and vigilantly guided — management protocol for the individual. Many situations will require the drastic step of publicizing the identity and the dangers posed by the perpetrator.

Effective action can really go a long way. If we can begin to approach this issue wisely and confidently we can create a climate where abuse would rarely occur and where, if it does happen, it would always be addressed promptly.

We pray that Hashem spare us such tragedies in the future, and that He grant us the wisdom and the courage to responsibly address the threats we currently face.

Signed

1. Rabbi Elan Adler, Moses Montefiore Anshe Emunah Hebrew Congregation
2. Rabbi Reuben Arieh, Ohr HaMizrach Congregation
3. Rabbi Menachem Goldberger, Congregation Tiferes Yisroel
4. Rabbi Emanuel Goldfeiz, Congregation Beit Yaakov
5. Rabbi Dovid Gottlieb, Cong. Shmorei Emunah
6. Rabbi Moshe Hauer, Bnai Jacob Shaarei Zion
7. Rabbi Dovid Haber, KAYTT and Star-K
8. Rabbi Moshe Heinemann, Agudath Israel of Baltimore and Star-K
9. Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer, Sheiris Yisroel
10. Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan, Chabad Lubavitch of Baltimore
11. Rabbi Nesanel Kostelitz, Machzikei Torah Congregation and the Community Kollel
12. Rabbi Chaim Landau, Ner Tamid
13. Rabbi Elchonon Lisbon, Bais Lubavitch - Chabad of Park Heights
    
14. Rabbi Sheftel Neuberger, Ner Israel Rabbinical College and High School
    
15. Rabbi Gavriel Newman, Beth Jacob Congregation
    
16. Rabbi Shlomo Salfer, Winands Road Synagogue Center
17. Rabbi Jonathan Seidemann, Kehilath B'nai Torah
18. Rabbi Simcha Shafran, Adath Yeshurun and the Bais Din of Baltimore
19. Rabbi Mordechai Shuchatowitz, Agudath Israel of Greenspring and Av Beis Din of Baltimore
20. Rabbi Shmuel Silber, Suburban Orthodox
21. Rabbi Amrom Taub, Arugas Habosem Congregation
22. Rabbi Y. Zvi Weiss, Bais Haknesses of Baltimore
23. Rabbi Mitchell Wohlberg, Beth Tfiloh

Additional signatures will be appended later, as not all of the Rabbis were available during the Pesach season.

Who is the Charedi Rabbi/Marriage Counselor Who Sexually Harassed Women

If anyone knows who the Charedi Rabbi is that is being discussed in this article please let me know ASAP

Moshe cited the example of a well-known rabbi who also worked as a marital counselor. Chadarei Haredim was flooded with complaints that the man was sexually harassing women who came to him for help. Within a short time, the rabbi was expelled from the yeshiva that employed him.

Diaspora haredim dominate Israeli Internet forum
By MATTHEW WAGNER
Jerusalem Post
February 13, 2007

The forum manager of Israel's most popular haredi Internet chat room said Tuesday that over half of its participants are ultra-Orthodox from the Diaspora.

Chadarei Haredim (haredi rooms), hosted by the Hyde Park Forum Management, is Israel's most popular haredi forum, with between 3,500 and 6,000 hits an hour.

Moshe is the nickname used by the 45-year-old haredi Jerusalem resident who manages the forum.

"Diaspora haredim are much more open to the use of Internet and at the same time they want to stay in touch with what is really going on here," said Moshe. The forum deals almost exclusively with local Israeli issues. Moshe said he used an alias to protect himself and his family.

"I want my children to be accepted at a good yeshiva," he said. "True, a lot of haredi families use the Internet at work or at home. But to be the manager of the most popular forum is another story altogether. Its as if I am flaunting my rebellion."

Moshe spoke with The Jerusalem Post the same day that kipa.co.il, an Orthodox Zionist Internet site, sponsored a conference in the capital on the use of Internet among religious Jews. Although the haredi rabbinic establishment prohibits the use of the Internet except for work purposes, thousands of haredim surf the Web.

The extent to which the Web has penetrated even the strictest haredi circles is demonstrated by a current Tel Aviv District Court case. Israel Ackerman, a well-known Gerer Hassid, sued "ploni almoni" (John Doe), the nickname of a chat room participant on the Chatzrot Hassidim (Hassidic courts) forum.

Ackerman said ploni almoni slandered him by reporting on the forum that he had brutally attacked another man. Ackerman is demanding compensation for damages caused by ploni almoni's posts. The success of Ackerman's case depends on proving the popularity of the Internet among his fellow Gerer Hassidim.

Moshe said there was a real need for forums like his own.

"We are capable of revealing stories that would never be exposed by mainstream haredi journalists. I believe my forum helps make the haredi community a better place by uncovering these negative elements and eliminating them."

Moshe cited the example of a well-known rabbi who also worked as a marital counselor. Chadarei Haredim was flooded with complaints that the man was sexually harassing women who came to him for help. Within a short time, the rabbi was expelled from the yeshiva that employed him.

Chadarei Haredim was established four years ago by David Rottenberg, a Chabad Hassid. Several other forums, also hosted by Hyde Park, deal with more specific haredi communities.