We're taking a break from our coverage of the Judah Karkowsky trial to cover the case against Yeshiva of Flatbush and Lonny Benamy, a longtime teacher. Lonny was accused in a CVA lawsuit of grooming and sexually abusing a student at Yeshiva of Flatbush. The complaint details a system of grooming that Benamy engaged in to create a group of students who received special favor from him and use that to his advantage. 

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SHOW NOTES:

https://www.amazon.com/When-Rabbis-Abuse-Dynamics-Culture/dp/1957712015

In our continuing coverage of the Judah Karkowsky trial we wrap up with the various pretrial motions made by the defense before jury selection. In particular in this episode we get into arguments made by Karkowsky's lawyer about the validity of the case itself, and about whether or not Karkowsky's texts with Aryeh Schulman should be excluded from evidence because Karkowsky believed that he enjoyed attorney client privilege with Schulman. 

If you haven't listened to parts one and two of this series, please listen to those first. 

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In this episode we do a deep dive on one of the dumbest, most mind-bending, time-consuming arguments made by Karkowsky's lawyer during pretrial motions: The question of whether or not to allow Karkowsky to introduce a full copy of his forged transcript as evidence. But it was forged, you may ask? Shouldn't that preclude it from being held forth as an authentic piece of evidence? Nevertheless his lawyer persisted. 

If you haven't listened to parts one and two of this series, please listen to those first. 

To learn more about ZA'AKAH or to donate, visit our website at https://zaakah.org

To get in touch with questions, comments, or any other concerns related to Outcry, email us at [email protected]

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We are joined this episode by Yehudis Fletcher to discuss her new memoir: Chutzpah: A Memoir of Faith, Sexuality and Daring to Stay. Yehudis is the founder of Nahamu, a UK based research organization focused on the issues of forced and arranged marriage, and sexual and domestic violence. Yehudis leads Nahamu’s analysis of the harms arising from extremism in the Jewish community and shapes our advocacy and policy response.

Yehudis has a background in project management and development. She is a independant sexual violence adviser, and has been battling violence against women and girls for the past decade. 

Confronted with either losing the faith she loved or losing herself, Yehudis made the most daring decision of all: she decided to stay. Wry and exhilarating, Chutzpah is a fearless exploration of what is possible when one person simply refuses to choose between abandoning their roots and abandoning themselves.

To learn more about ZA'AKAH or to donate, visit our website at https://zaakah.org

To get in touch with questions, comments, or any other concerns related to Outcry, email us at [email protected]

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SHOW NOTES:

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/notorious-paedophile-allowed-live-just-31753524

https://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/convicted-paedophile-todros-grynhaus-owns-31834441

https://blackwells.co.uk/bookshop/product/Chutzpah-by-Yehudis-Fletcher/9780857529954?srsltid=AfmBOopqSA-i_MSOxIYApEPEs40Sfo_Gn5mTznDvCaVa1-iKXYAfVUFK

https://www.audible.com/pd/Chutzpah-Audiobook/B0DY8QNXBM

https://www.instagram.com/yehudisfletcher

https://nahamu.org/

In our continuing coverage of the trial of Judah Karkowsky we do a deep dive on how exactly Karkowsky was caught using a forged transcript of the hearing dismissing his sexual abuse charges to try and con his way back into the Young Israel of Woodmere, and defraud the Woodmere Fire District, and County of Nassau. We also get into some of the pretrial motions that eventually became the basis for Karkowsky's appeal of his guilty verdict. 

To learn more about ZA'AKAH or to donate, visit our website at https://zaakah.org

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Judah Karkowsky is perhaps the dumbest criminal we've ever covered on this podcast. After getting off on a technicality for the alleged sexual assault of a child while responding to an EMS call at the Young Israel of Woodmere, Judah Karkowsky decided to test his luck even further. Karkowsky used a forged copy of the transcript of the hearing where his charges were dismissed to try and scam his way back into the Young Israel of Woodmere, and also tried using the same transcript to try and scam the Woodmere Fire Department out of $15,000,000 for firing him and reporting the alleged abuse. 

The plan backfired spectacularly and Karkowsky was convicted by a jury for this use of a forged instrument. In this series we're going to break down the particulars of the forgery case, do a deep dive on the trial, and discuss the people who supported his efforts. In this episode we cover what led to the charges in this case: Karkowsky's relationship with Ari Shulman, his attempt to leverage that relationship to get Shulman to unwittingly assist in his fraud against the Young Israel of Woodmere, and the ridiculous and obvious forgery that kicked this whole case off. 

This episode is dedicated l'iluy nishmas Rabbi Eliyahu Fink who tragically passed in a car accident in March, Ariella's aunt, Beth Goldberg, and Miriam Isserow, whose unwavering support of ZA'AKAH and invaluable leadership made ZA'AKAH what it is today. 

To learn more about ZA'AKAH or to donate, visit our website at https://zaakah.org

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Show Notes: 

Karkowsky Exhibits: https://imgur.com/a/oqwkgm4

In March of 2011, Rabbi Gavriel Bidany was arrested for groping an IDF soldier on a plane to the United States. While sitting next to her he reached his hand under her blanket to touch her without her consent. 

In this episode we discuss what he did, the details of his case, his trial and conviction, and the many people who came to his defense and wrote sentencing recommendations on his behalf. Many of those letters mentioned his particular interest in the young girls and women in the author's families, and the surprising twist of what one of his defenders was later arrested for will surprise you! 

To learn more about ZA'AKAH or to donate, visit our website at https://zaakah.org

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In our last episode we discussed Rabbi Aron Baruch Tendler and his alleged abuse of students at YULA High School. We began discussing his brother Mordechai as well. In this episode we dive into the details of Rabbi Mordechai Tendler's alleged abuses against women and his firing as rabbi of Kehillat New Hempstead. 

This episode discusses the specific dynamics of when Rabbis abuse their congregants, how it happens, why it's so damaging, and why it's hard to get justice for this kind of abuse. Strongly recommended reading as a companion to this episode, once again, is When Rabbis Abuse by Dr. Elana Sztockman. 

To learn more about ZA'AKAH or to donate, visit our website at https://zaakah.org

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In this episode we discuss two brothers, Rabbi Aron Baruch Tendler, and Rabbi Mordechai Tendler, both rabbis in an illustrious family who were accused of using their positions to abuse people. In the case of Rabbi Aron Baruch Tendler, he was accused of abusing girls at YULA High School in Los Angeles. Mordechai was accused of coercing women in his congregation into sex under the pretext of rabbinic counseling.

This episode covers the story of Aron Baruch and begins the story of Mordechai. In the next episode we will cover the extensive process undertaken by the RCA to investigate the allegations into Mordechai, and the lengths to which he went to fight back against his accusers.

To learn more about ZA'AKAH or to donate, visit our website at https://zaakah.org

To get in touch with questions, comments, or any other concerns related to Outcry, email us at [email protected]

Follow us on our socials to stay informed:

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SHOW NOTES:

https://web.archive.org/web/20040105153320/http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/newscontent.php3?artid=8856

https://forward.com/culture/5201/rabbinical-council-is-probing-claims-of-sexual-har/

https://jewishjournal.com/community/12777/

In our last episode we discussed Zev Steen's arrest for the possession and distribution of CSAM as well as the rape and recording of a girl from age 2 to 8. We discussed the letter written by Rabbi Shraga Neuberger on behalf of Steen for his appeal to be granted bond after his second arrest, as well as the roles played by Neuberger, unlicensed therapist Yehuda Bergman, and CHANA clinical coordinator, Laura Greer, in covering up for Steen and then allowing him to become a teacher in Bnos Yisroel. We also discussed the statements made by Rabbi Mordechai Shuchatowitz and Rabbi Neuberger in a video submitted to the judge ahead of Steen's sentencing. 

In this episode we discuss the letters written by rabbis and teachers in the Baltimore community on behalf of Steen, the fallout of those letters, and what the authors of those letters have to say in their own defense. The bottom line is this: Baltimore is not safe for children.