Outcry

In our last episode covering the Gender Motivated Violence Act case against Belz and Avigdor Kupferstein, we left off with the allegations about Victor having sexually abused his and Dr. Henny Kupferstein's children. In this episode we finish discussing the complaint against him, including his call to ACS against Dr. Kupferstein for the "crime" of going to a postpartum convalescent home, Belz's role in forcing her back into her marriage with Avigdor despite knowing that he was allegedly raping her, and her disturbing experience with the Brooklyn DA's office and Henna and Asher White in particular.

We are once again joined by Yehudis Fletcher, 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.

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:

While it is our general practice not to identify plaintiffs when discussing lawsuits, Dr Kupferstein expressly requested that her name be used in this episode. 

https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=bL0ME7UsL7tGCFyGWVCMhg==

https://nahamu.org/what-is-nahamu/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2012/mar/29/brooklyn-da-orthodox-jews-cover-up

https://forward.com/news/470033/for-orthodox-brooklyns-private-police-a-code-of-silence-hides-domestic/

https://www.nytimes.com/2012/05/11/nyregion/for-ultra-orthodox-in-child-sex-abuse-cases-prosecutor-has-different-rules.html

In November of 2023, Dr Henny Kupferstein filed a lawsuit against her ex-husband, Avigdor Kupferstein, and Kehillas Belz in Boro Park, for rape, physical, and sexual assault she allegedly experienced in her marriage at the hands of her husband, condoned and encouraged, she alleges, by Dayan Cheskel Akiva Gross. What's unique about this lawsuit is how it describes, in great detail, not only the abuse allegedly experienced by Dr Kupferstein, but also the particulars of the chassidish shidduch system and how it directly contributed to the circumstances of this lawsuit. 

We are joined this episode by Yehudis Fletcher, 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. Yehudis began writing as a child and is now a regular contributor to community papers. In 2018, her poem ‘Kinah: from a survivor of child sexual abuse’ won the Simon Rockower award.

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:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/zaakah
Twitter: @zaakahny
Instagram: @zaakahig
TikTok: @zaakahny

SHOW NOTES:

While it is our general practice not to identify plaintiffs when discussing lawsuits, Dr Kupferstein expressly requested that her name be used in this episode. 

https://www.thriftbooks.com/w/in-bad-faith-inside-a-secret-ultra-orthodox-sect-and-the-betrayal-it-tried-to-hide/51960107/#edition=70705824&idiq=62996986

https://nahamu.org/what-is-nahamu/

https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/nyscef/ViewDocument?docIndex=bL0ME7UsL7tGCFyGWVCMhg==

Malka Leifer is perhaps the most notorious child sexual abusers in the Jewish world. After abusing three sisters, Nicole Meyer, Elly Sapper, and Dassi Erlich, Malka Leifer fled Australia to Israel to escape justice. While Israel has an extradition treaty with Australia, they also have an accepted policy of protecting Jews from prosecution in other countries. While living as a free woman in Emmanuel, Leifer evaded extradition for nearly a decade by pretending to be mentally incompetent to stand trial. Aided by government officials in the Knesset, including health minister Yaakov Litzman, she was allowed to remain free while her victims spent years, and 74 court hearings trying desperately to have her extradited to face justice.

While Leifer was ultimately extradited and convicted in Australia and sentenced to 15 years in prison, Nicole Meyer was ultimately robbed of the justice she deserved. The jury in the case found that Leifer was guilty on the charges related to the sexual abuse of her sisters, but not guilty on the charges of Nicole's sexual abuse.

In this episode Ariella sits down with Nicole to discuss the case, her feelings about the verdict, her life as a survivor before and after the case, and what she's been up to following the verdict. They also discuss what parenting is like as a survivor.

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:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/zaakah
Twitter: @zaakahny
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SHOW NOTES:

https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/a-haven-for-paedophiles-the-ultra-orthodox-settlement-where-malka-leifer-hides-20180612-p4zkx4.html

https://www.timesofisrael.com/malka-leifers-accuser-takes-solace-in-collective-win-after-partial-guilty-verdict/

https://www.timesofisrael.com/litzman-gets-minor-fine-no-jail-for-shielding-alleged-pedophile-leifer-from-justice/

https://www.timesofisrael.com/malka-leifer-sentenced-to-15-years-for-sexual-abuse-of-two-students/

https://www.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan/31/malka-leifer-how-a-long-running-child-sexual-abuse-case-tested-australias-relationship-with-israel

https://www.amazon.com/Bad-Faith-Inside-ultra-Orthodox-betrayal-ebook/dp/B0CH33KW8F

https://www.instagram.com/breakingthesilencenow

https://www.tiktok.com/@nicoleymeyer

In this episode Ariella and Sara Rosenberg (of Jewish Survivors United) discuss the history of the infamous Jewish sex-trafficking organization, Zwi Migdal, which operated globally from the mid 1800s to the mid 1900s, trafficking women and girls from eastern European Shtetls to brothels they maintained around the world. Women and girls abducted by these traffickers would be sent around the world, cut off from their families, and forced into prostitution by the men in Zwi Migdal.

This episode discusses the beginnings of Zwi Migdal, the methods they used to get their victims, and the response of the Jewish community to the threat they posed. Over the course of this discussion, parts of the response of the Jewish community today to modern issues of sexual violence may seem similar to the way the community responded then, and in some ways the community then acted more responsibly than the community does today. It's important to know this history so we can recognize and combat the modern threats of sexual violence in our community.

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:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/zaakah
Twitter: @zaakahny
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SHOW NOTES:

https://www.abebooks.com/9780679311638/Bodies-Souls-Tragic-Plight-Three-0679311637/plp

https://www.abebooks.com/9780805238662/Prostitution-Prejudice-Jewish-Fight-Against-0805238662/plp

The following two books were not used in making this episode but are nonetheless excellent resources on this subject: 

https://www.amazon.com/Tmeiin-jud%C3%ADos-impuros-Historia-Spanish-ebook/dp/B07CYZMXDD

https://www.abebooks.com/9789500727105/Infierno-Prometido-Promise-Prostituta-Zwi-9500727102/plp

In this next installment of our series on sleepaway camp and its inherent risks, we are joined by the incredible Stephen Mills, author of Chosen: A Memoir of Stolen Boyhood to discuss his experiences at Camp Ella Fohs. Stephen is a survivor of sexual abuse by the former director of Camp Ella Fohs, Dan Farinella, a social worker. In Chosen Stephen describes in vivid detail the process of how Farinella groomed him, abused him, and the devastating fallout that followed.

Stephen and Ariella discuss the specific risks at Camp Ella Fohs that led to Stephen's abuse, the subsequent coverup by the camp, the decades of trauma caused by the abuse, and the process of finally beginning to heal. They also discuss the nature of trauma in general, how it forms in the body, and what it takes to heal from such a fundamental violation.

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:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/zaakah
Twitter: @zaakahny
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SHOW NOTES:

https://stephenmillsauthor.com

https://ejewishphilanthropy.com/a-survivors-disclosure/

https://www.nytimes.com/2022/04/26/books/review/chosen-stephen-mills.html

https://bookshop.org/p/books/chosen-a-memoir-of-stolen-boyhood-stephen-mills/18391685?ean=9781250871152

In our previous episode we began to discuss the unique conditions at sleepaway camps that make them particular risks to children, In particular the sexualized atmosphere of co-ed Jewish sleepaway camps in the Conservative movement. Between the overemphasis on Jewish continuity through sex, and the isolation imposed on children as part of the experience, we discussed how Eddie Ward was able to abuse so many for so long and get away with it.

This week we are joined by survivor/advocate David Cheifetz to continue our series on sleepaway camp with a deep dive on Camp Dora Golding. David discusses his own experiences at Camp Dora Golding, and we discuss two cases in particular, including the case of Chisdai Ben-Porat, a former CDG counselor who was convicted of sexually abusing children in 2014. We discuss the camp's response in the immediate aftermath, how the parents of the survivors reacted (and what we all can learn from them), and what considerations parents should make when/if selecting a summer camp for their own children.

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:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/zaakah
Twitter: @zaakahny
Instagram: @zaakahig
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SHOW NOTES:

https://www.jta.org/2013/03/28/ny/sharing-the-secret-thats-haunted-my-soul

https://frumfollies.wordpress.com/2013/09/21/text-of-rca-speech-by-david-cheifetz-on-sex-abuse/

https://www.wfmz.com/news/camp-counselor-accused-of-inappropriately-touching-boy/article_4d4700ac-ef91-5186-b033-ba2d12fe8ecd.html

https://www.poconorecord.com/story/news/2014/02/25/former-camp-counselor-sentenced-in/38646322007/

https://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2013/09/camp-dora-golding-molestation-case-continues-as-camp-backs-alleged-molester-not-his-victims-567.html

Unfortunately there is no shortage of sexual abuse allegations at sleepaway camps: Camp Agudah, Dora Golding, Sternberg, Oorah Girl Zone, Magen Av, Romimu, and so many more. Whether we like to admit it or not, sleepaway camp often creates an environment where abusers can more easily prey on children and get away with it.

In this episode we do a deep dive on the case against Eddie Ward at Surprise Lake Camp. Established over a century ago by the Conservative movement, and associated with USY, Surprise Lake currently faces three Child Victims Act lawsuits involving children who were allegedly abused at the camp by Eddie Ward while the camp took no actions to stop or prevent it. A significant part of the issue at this camp and many others is the hypersexualization of the camp experience by the organizers of the camp and leaders at USY.

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:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/zaakah
Twitter: @zaakahny
Instagram: @zaakahig
TikTok: @zaakahny

SHOW NOTES:

https://www.jta.org/2023/03/09/united-states/investigation-into-conservative-movements-youth-programs-identifies-hypersexualized-culture

https://www.timesofisrael.com/more-victims-lawsuits-and-mounting-anger-at-usy-after-toi-report-alleging-abuse/

https://jewishjournal.org/2021/08/26/sharon-rabbi-hundreds-may-have-been-abused-by-usy-adviser/

This week we are honored to be joined by Shulim Leifer. Shulim is a community activist on behalf of survivors, who has helped numerous survivors seek justice against their abusers. He joins us this week to discuss the sentencing of former Shomrim head, Yanky Daskal.

In 2017, Daskal was arrested on charges connected to his rape of a 15 year old girl placed in his care. Originally brought up on state charges, the case was soon taken over by the feds when it became known that he transported his survivor over state lines to rape her. The case dragged on for 5 years, eventually culminating in his pleading guilty to one charge of transporting a minor for the purpose of sexual abuse.

In this episode, Shulim and Asher discuss their experience attending Daskal's sentencing, and do a deep dive on what led up to it, a play by play of what happened in court, and what the community's response was to Daskal's plea and sentencing.

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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While Shlomo Carlebach was considered by many to be a beloved if unconventional saint for mid to late 20th century Jewery, he had, as was described by Lilith Magazine in 1998, a Shadow Side to him. Many prefer to ignore this part of his life, minimizing it or pretending it never happened, but Shlomo Carlebach sexually abused and harassed an innumerable amount of women over the 30 years he was active.

Accounts of his abuse were only rumor during his life, whispered especially feverishly among the women in his following, but 4 years after his death, the allegations were made publicly and on the record: Shlomo Carlebach was accused of sexually assaulting a number of women, including young teenagers, during the height of his fame. Since the publication of those initial accusations, many, many more women have told their own stories, and a debate has raged over the future of Carlebach's legacy.

In this episode we dive deep on these allegations and discuss how we feel about how the community should respond to them, and what effect it should have on his legacy.

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:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/zaakah
Twitter: @zaakahny
Instagram: @zaakahig
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SHOW NOTES: 

https://lilith.org/articles/rabbi-shlomo-carlebachs-shadow-side/

https://lilith.org/2018/01/youve-come-a-long-way-sister-20-years-after-carlebach-allegations-his-daughter-hears-metoo/

https://hareiani.com/2014/12/07/carlebach-cosby-and-separating-art-from-its-artist/

https://hareiani.com/2016/11/20/a-follow-up-on-carlebach-and-the-abuse-he-committed/

https://www.scribd.com/document/671178204/Lilith-Allegations-about-Rabbi-Shlomo-Carlebach-Analyzed

https://www.timesofisrael.com/watch-neshama-carlebach-on-thriving-in-the-shadow-of-her-fathers-mixed-legacy/

https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/my-sisters-i-hear-you/

Mendy Pellin's interview with registered sex offender, Gershon Selinger, took the internet by a storm. Was it just the thing the community needed to shake it out of its denial? Was it a harmful platforming of a manipulative abuser? Is there anything to be learned from what Gershon said? As with most things, the truth is probably somewhere in the middle.

Asher Lovy, director of ZA'AKAH, is joined by noted anti-abuse advocate, Chaim Levin, director of Magen-Israel, Shana Aaronson, and founder of The Bayar Group, Rahel Bayar to discuss the interview, its impact, pros and cons, and what our takeaways should be.

Please note: The interview was followed by interviews with Dr Michael Salamon and Patty Fitzgerald, two experts in the field, to provide important context and framing to Gershon Selinger interview. If you haven't yet had a chance to watch those follow-up interviews, please do. Links are below in the show notes. 

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:

Facebook: https://facebook.com/zaakah
Twitter: @zaakahny
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SHOW NOTES: 

Interview with Gershon:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=26ZXF3IKdPw

Interview with Dr. Michael Salamon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EJckBy2R3D8

Interview with Patty Fitzgerald:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHwpNGBOc-Q

https://crownheights.info/crime/475197/crown-heights-teacher-arrested-charged-with-child-molestation/

https://www.homefacts.com/offender-detail/NY49372/Gershon-Y-Selinger.html