Instead I found apparent misinformation about Haredim and about Imanuel, possible witness intimidation, and an apparently staged provocation entitled "Violence in the court-house. Malka Leifer's brother tries to prevent Adam Segal from speaking to the psychiatrist by pushing him to the ground." There, it looks like someone is saying, "He pushed him!....", thus accusing a Haredi Jew of violence. See this clip here - you will see that Segel was not pushed!
Dr Brian Trappler's testimony that Malka Leifer showed signs of delusional thinking in the realm of A-Domain Schizophrenia is posted at the end of this blog. In the clip here, the subtitle admits to what could be seen as witness intimidation:
"Australian Rabbi Adam Segal confronted psychiatrist Dr Brian Trappler in court"
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6806157/Australian-rabbi-pushed-ground-accused-paedophiles-brother-Israel.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
in slow motion:
https://www.facebook.com/1374597074/videos/10218301896803527/
This rhetoric also includes the false rumor that she taught in a school here, she did not, and the false rhetoric that Haredi communities are havens for pedophiles - of course they are not!
I am witness that no assistance was ever offered by activists involved in the Leifer case to my community to raise awareness of pedophilia. I reached out to them on this subject, their sole interest was publicity. I wish I had recorded the telephone call when an activist phoned me to "keep this in the news". When I retorted that I wanted to prevent abuse, she made it clear that publicity was her goal.
Despite the apparent intimidation techniques used against anyone who would question any aspect of this case, and I am well aware the activists may plot against me as well, I hereby speak out, and this is why:
UItra-orthodox(Haredi) communities are decidedly NOT havens for pedophiles, as some media reports have suggested, and, those who declare that (Haredi) communities are havens are, in my opinion, putting children in danger.
Every school in Imanuel has pedophile awareness education now because of myself and a few other locals, NOT thanks to the activists in this case.
Due to the publicity surrounding the Leifer case, a pedophile of any affiliation could be inspired to seek refuge among Haredim. He or she may enter a Haredi community, trick some of its members, and lure the unsuspecting.
Haredim limit their access to the internet. They are likely to miss warnings posted on social media. That means that publicity does not help Haredim. Grassroots interpersonal communication helps Haredim. Haredim now may be in increased danger because of the cynical and apparently false propaganda that has surrounded this case.
Do you wonder what is wrong with a staged provocation? Here is why it is wrong: lying is wrong, and, the false accusation that Leifer's brother pushed someone can be interpreted as follows: since Haredim are violent, it is ok to be violent to them.
The activists in this case have apparently propagandized against Haredim and against Imanuel. They have done nothing to raise awareness about sex abuse or offer any help to Haredi communities about this issue.
Indeed, once in a while you will see a poster in a Haredi community with a picture of even a suspected pedophile and the injunction to report his whereabouts if you see him, and to avoid him. The caption will say:
"Chaptsem! Stay away from this man! if you see him, tell the police!"
Publicity is the drug of a voyeristic age. It does not solve problems. You would think anyone who cares about pedophilia would do everything to raise awareness in communities to prevent further abuse. This is done through grass roots communication, not publicity. This is what I did here. This is not what the activists involved in extraditing Leifer did, not one bit.
I am witness that no assistance was ever offered by activists involved in the Leifer case to my community to raise awareness of pedophilia. I reached out to them on this subject, their sole interest was publicity. I wish I had recorded the telephone call when an activist phoned me to "keep this in the news". When I retorted that I wanted to prevent abuse, she made it clear that publicity was her goal.
Despite the apparent intimidation techniques used against anyone who would question any aspect of this case, and I am well aware the activists may plot against me as well, I hereby speak out, and this is why:
UItra-orthodox(Haredi) communities are decidedly NOT havens for pedophiles, as some media reports have suggested, and, those who declare that (Haredi) communities are havens are, in my opinion, putting children in danger.
Every school in Imanuel has pedophile awareness education now because of myself and a few other locals, NOT thanks to the activists in this case.
Due to the publicity surrounding the Leifer case, a pedophile of any affiliation could be inspired to seek refuge among Haredim. He or she may enter a Haredi community, trick some of its members, and lure the unsuspecting.
Haredim limit their access to the internet. They are likely to miss warnings posted on social media. That means that publicity does not help Haredim. Grassroots interpersonal communication helps Haredim. Haredim now may be in increased danger because of the cynical and apparently false propaganda that has surrounded this case.
Do you wonder what is wrong with a staged provocation? Here is why it is wrong: lying is wrong, and, the false accusation that Leifer's brother pushed someone can be interpreted as follows: since Haredim are violent, it is ok to be violent to them.
The activists in this case have apparently propagandized against Haredim and against Imanuel. They have done nothing to raise awareness about sex abuse or offer any help to Haredi communities about this issue.
Indeed, once in a while you will see a poster in a Haredi community with a picture of even a suspected pedophile and the injunction to report his whereabouts if you see him, and to avoid him. The caption will say:
"Chaptsem! Stay away from this man! if you see him, tell the police!"
Publicity is the drug of a voyeristic age. It does not solve problems. You would think anyone who cares about pedophilia would do everything to raise awareness in communities to prevent further abuse. This is done through grass roots communication, not publicity. This is what I did here. This is not what the activists involved in extraditing Leifer did, not one bit.
Here are Haredi organizations that advocate for and treat victims of abuse, if you are moved to donate to abuse-prevention groups, donate to these groups, NOT to the Leifer activists:
TAHEL: https://www.timesofisrael.com/orthodox-jews-convene-to-stop-to-domestic-and-sexual-abuse/
Nivcharot: https://www.timesofisrael.com/ultra-orthodox-women-launch-anti-domestic-violence-campaign/
Yad Sarah: https://www.friendsofyadsarah.org/the-latest/yad-sarah-s-family-center-expands-domestic-violence-treatment-services-to-israel-s-southern-region
Neve Family Institute: https://nevefamilyinstitute.org/clinical-staff/
===
===
An article states that the Sapper sisters visited Imanuel. I had been in touch with one of them before that alleged visit, and I expressed surprise to her after I saw that article, I asked, why didn't you contact me so we could meet? I have asked them, why did they not contact any community leaders here? No answer. I started to wonder if they were never even here. One of them also is quoted as saying that Leifer taught here, and THAT IS NOT TRUE.
--
This blog includes:
- Prevention of pedophilia.
- The need to report a suspected pedophile to law enforcement.
- "All of Imanuel is Crying" : an essay that shows that Haredi communities are in fact NOT havens. Plus - for decades, Haredi leaders have rejected Eliezer Berland
- Sex abuse is evil. Both sinful and evil.
- The need to report a suspected pedophile to law enforcement.
- "All of Imanuel is Crying" : an essay that shows that Haredi communities are in fact NOT havens. Plus - for decades, Haredi leaders have rejected Eliezer Berland
- Sex abuse is evil. Both sinful and evil.
- A Note to Survivors - the Media is not your Friend.
- Even criminals deserve to be treated humanely
The exploitation of another human being is an evil act. It damages another person in a profoundly deep way and swift and harsh action is mandated against it.
There is no excuse that can justify sex abuse. Someone may steal food because he is hungry, embezzle money because she is greedy, lie because he is intimidated, abandon religion due to a crisis of faith or due to disbelief. Many sins are committed that can be explained.
Sex abuse
defies explanation or justification. There is no normal need it fulfills.
A
sex act must be consensual. Sexual frustration can be released in
sinful but consensual ways. I do not like to mention prostitution or
promiscuity, but these situations are consensual.
===
A note for Abuse Survivors: the Media is not your Friend
Abuse survivors are empowered by prosecuting via the legal system and by raising awareness about abuse in whatever capacity they can. Prosecution may be as simple as obtaining a restraining order or as complex as a law suit and trial. There is no need to mention the name of the perpetrator to anyone except for to law enforcement, until after the case is heard in court.
I have long suspected that the Sapper sisters have been misled on this score. They were encouraged to go to the media, which may actually backfire regarding any fair trail of Leifer: a strong case can be made for a mistrial.
But the likelihood of mistrial aside, if you are a survivor, publicity may harm you in a similar manner that the abuse did. Publicity destroys the very thing you need the most - boundaries. You need to seek help along the proper legal channels, get therapy, and at the same time maintain boundaries of privacy between yourself and family, friends, coworkers, etc.
Your boundaries were destroyed when you were abused. you need to build them up again. Privacy is key here. The media will sabotage this! Seek publicity, if at all after case closed, not before.
This case is unusual in that the alleged perpetrator is a woman - a Jewish woman - an orthodox Jewish woman - egad a Chasidic orthodox Jewish Rebbetzen and principal of a school! I mean who would ever imagine!! My point is this is a head turning case. Many dislike Haredim anyway: those who dislike religion, and-or religious fundamentalism, members of the Jewish community who think Haredim are old fashioned, so there are many who would jump on this media bandwagon. I am saying to survivors here that most people will not get the media attention the Sappers did. Be cautious before you emulate them! Look at their Tweets, one will even release her recent blood pressure reading in response to a news update on this case - is that not psychological fusion and poor boundaries? You bet it is! Now, it is just with a different manipulator, before it was (allegedly) Leifer, now it is - the media ....this is not healthy, please, survivor, think this through.
Survivors , you will feel good when you build strong boundaries by getting legal help, therapy, and then when you are stronger, if you wish, advocating for abuse awareness and thus preventing more abuse against others.
Leifer was made out to be such a monster that anyone suggesting even a fair trial or a halt to all this publicity was attacked on social media.
According to the basic law in Israel called, "The individual's freedom and honor" ratified by the 12th Israeli Parliament in March 1992, I hereby declare that publicity regarding exposing abusers before any fair trial is a violation of basic human rights. It should only be done after every other possibility was exhausted. Before this hit the news, the Leifer case was in fact in the courts, moves to get her extradited were already in place.
-----
Update February 2021
Malka Leifer has been sent to Australia. The rhetoric against her continues to be vitriolic, such as demanding that she be treated in a subhuman way. I believe in rehabilitation, not torture. So does Ronit Matsliach who worked in women's prison rehab, here is an article in Hebrew. She states, "Women prisoners tend to have been victims of abuse. It is their perpetrators who really should be in prison." https://www.haaretz.co.il/magazine/ayelet-shani/.premium-1.2620298.
I
pray for healing for all ill people. I wish this discourse would also
develop into advice for how the socially ill can heal. But it did not.
Do not gloat that you are well, how do you know what may have happened
to someone to tip the scale against them, turning them into a sociopath?
"How do you know it won't happen to you?" - Yoko Ono
Or to a loved one, r"l.
"How do you know it won't happen to you?" - Yoko Ono
Or to a loved one, r"l.
--
Update August 2 2020
Abusers groom their victims. Victims can thus appear to be in a relationship with the abuser, even returning to the abuser and receiving further abuse. Understanding this sociopathic dynamic of a dysfunctional and even codependant relationship will help us identify and treat abuse, and understand why it can be prolonged. It should never be used in the legal defense of abuse! Looks like Leifer's lawyers are doing that now, which is a totally reprehensible move on their part. Those lawyers should be ashamed of themselves.
Codependancy does not equal consent!
--
Prevention
Now
I want to present information that I think will be helpful in the
public discourse, and should have been the focus in the media:
Prevention and Treatment of Pedophilia
Education in the Schools
Every school in Imanuel has a program for the teachers to raise awareness about pedophilia - you can contact the three networks which supervise the schools here: Maya'an Torani, the Chinuch Atzmai, and the Mamlachti Dati.
The Chassidic girl's school is independent, and when I spoke to the principal, who took this very seriously, she told me that indeed they have program for the girls on abuse prevention, I spoke to the teacher who runs it, who expressed enthusiasm should Jewish Community Watch come here to speak, she is always open to more information.
When I asked two principals in about 2015 if they had programs, at that time they said they did not, so awareness has grown rapidly in Imanuel on the need to educate kids in schools on this subject. Good.
See the following study, "Tempest in the Temple", on sex abuse in the Jewish community, from the unaffiliated to the Haredi.
https://bir.brandeis.edu - search "Neustein"
Page 19 in the preface, Dr Neustein states that Hassidic communities in Poland ran halfway houses for battered Hassidic women. Both enlightenment and denial about abuse are present in all communities. Whoever says that all Haredim cover up abuse is mistaken.
Prevention and Treatment of Pedophilia
Education in the Schools
Every school in Imanuel has a program for the teachers to raise awareness about pedophilia - you can contact the three networks which supervise the schools here: Maya'an Torani, the Chinuch Atzmai, and the Mamlachti Dati.
The Chassidic girl's school is independent, and when I spoke to the principal, who took this very seriously, she told me that indeed they have program for the girls on abuse prevention, I spoke to the teacher who runs it, who expressed enthusiasm should Jewish Community Watch come here to speak, she is always open to more information.
When I asked two principals in about 2015 if they had programs, at that time they said they did not, so awareness has grown rapidly in Imanuel on the need to educate kids in schools on this subject. Good.
See the following study, "Tempest in the Temple", on sex abuse in the Jewish community, from the unaffiliated to the Haredi.
https://bir.brandeis.edu - search "Neustein"
Page 19 in the preface, Dr Neustein states that Hassidic communities in Poland ran halfway houses for battered Hassidic women. Both enlightenment and denial about abuse are present in all communities. Whoever says that all Haredim cover up abuse is mistaken.
I am not an expert, but here are some emotions that one may experience in dealing with a case like this:
- Misplaced compassion for the perpetrator.
- Fear that the perpetrator can further harm the victim or the reporter of the abuse.
- Fear that this case is embarrassing to your community.
- Blaming the victim.
The
misplaced compassion is probably the dangerous emotion that allows the
abuser to continue their abuse. It may take the form of thoughts like:
"poor thing, this was probably done to her...jail is too severe a
punishment for this....abusers already live in an internal Hell and are
already suffering.... he or she is sick, we should help her."
Imho the following is how you help an abuser and be compassionate at the same time:
Report it immediately to authorities that can deal with it swiftly and firmly.
If that sounds intimidating, report to a trusted member of your community who will then take it to a social worker or medical professional that she trusts who will then deal with it.
If that sounds intimidating, report to a trusted member of your community who will then take it to a social worker or medical professional that she trusts who will then deal with it.
Why
am I saying this after admitting the phenomenon of misplaced compassion
for an alleged abuser? Because this IS compassion, and here is why:
There are allegations surfacing now that the accused may have abused girls in Israel decades ago.
If
that had been dealt with swiftly and firmly, after the very fist
allegation, then more abuse would have been prevented, she may have been
rehabilitated, and her family would not have suffered like this.
Now I will tell you an example of swift and firm intervention that prevented more suffering:
-------------------
3 - "All of Imanuel is Crying"
About 2008
"I
heard that Rabbi S is on house arrest for suspected pedophilia." My
grown step daughter told me. I was shocked and doubtful that it could
be true.
Then Rabbi Bar Lev called a meeting of the women of Imanuel.
This is what he said:
"All of Imanuel is crying. There is an inyan (important concept) of Dina deMalchuta Dina (the
law of the Land is the law), I am enjoined by the Torah to turn a
suspected criminal into the police, so I turned him in. But there is
more than that. A social worker who is an expert on pedophilia met
with us, she said, 'those who abuse, were likely abused themselves and they are acting out what happened to them. Thus it is essential to punish the perpetrator in order
to show the children who are victims that this is wrong, and if they do
it, they will get punished quite seriously. This breaks any potential
cycle of abuse, preventing victims from acting out in the future and
possibly abusing others."
The
intervention was swift and severe. He was jailed. I am estimating that
five years of his life total was taken up by court hearings and less
that a year of jail time.
He is out of jail, still married, a father and grandfather, and has a job in which he has no contact with children. He was punished, but not destroyed, and that is because of swift and severe intervention.
(After Rabbi S was on house arrest and before his sentencing, I called Rabbi Bar Lev and asked, "can I call Rabbi S and ask him some general advice...?" He interjected, "of course! We want to build him up and make him feel good again. By all means call him."
So I called Rabbi S, did not mention anything about the case against him, and asked some general advice. The law had to press charges, but people could be compassionate to him, help him heal. His wife saw me after that, "you cannot imagine how you made my husband feel good, thank you so much."
Helping an accused criminal feel good will also stop further abuse. We are not here to destroy, we also want healing, and you hear nothing of that in this case against Leifer. )
It
is coming out that the accused was suspected of sexually abusing a
teenage girl over twenty years ago in Israel by luring her into a closed
room and suggestively stroking her leg. If intervention had been swift
and severe, "just" for that, which is horrible anyway, but "just" for
that, she may have been pained, embarrassed, and severely punished for,
say, a couple of years total of court proceedings and whatever
punishment seen fit. She would have been banned from contact with
children, and no one else would have suffered. She may even have healed.
My
brief interactions with the accused and the family of the accused in
Imanuel gave me the impression of a family in social Herem
(marginalization) and with no means. You hardly saw them. Reports that
the accused taught in a school here are untrue.
She and her family are destroyed, and it did not have to happen.
She and her family are destroyed, and it did not have to happen.
Woe
that the first allegations were not dealt with! Woe woe woe!!! If only
intervention was swift! We may have been hearing a very different
story, maybe even of someone who had her whole life ahead of her to heal
and maybe even prevent this happening to others!
And she does not.
------------------------------
No
matter in what community you dwell, you are being compassionate if you
report all suspected abuse to a trusted member of your community who can
then pass it on to a local social worker, who can then pass it on to
the law enforcement authorities.Please, REPORT.
---------
More on Prevention
Haredi psychologist Miriam Adahan recommends that you keep open dialogue with your children every single day. Ask then, "what is the best thing that happened today, and what is the worst thing that happened today?"
Boundaries are essential! You child should have things that only belong to him and no one can take without permission. Likewise, he should know that he must respect others' boundaries, for instance, he should not be allowed to open his parent's cupboards, this gives a sense of boundaries.
But that assumes a functional, caring family. The Sapper girls were allegedly abused at home. In the photos of them as pre-teens, they are smiling. It appears that victims can cover up or repress what they are going through.
In that case, how can we help victims while they are going through abuse if we do not even know it, if they are smiley like everyone else?
We all need to be on the lookout for others who are being neglected or abused. We cannot be so busy, we must have some time in the day to take a look around, befriend neighbors, give an eye to easing others' burdens so the well can stay well and so the unwell can get help.
The Amichail organization here assists those who need help - women after childbirth, people in convalescence, they send food and household help.
But the dysfunctional are not always compliant, and Amichail volunteers cannot enter anyone's home if the host forbids it. A man told me, "If you make a suggestion to my wife, that is 'telling her what to do' and she will not listen. I do all the care for our children and she cannot. We had someone come and help, then my wife said that the assistant was 'telling her what to do' and she threw her out. She needs a loving big sister to work with her every day and completely accept her, maybe slowly she will learn how to bathe and feed children..."
Amichail provides help, but it sounds like this woman needs a substitute parent, and whoever offends her, which sounds easy to do, will be rejected.
The next step in a case like this is, if the father cannot manage, the school will have to report signs of neglect and social workers will have to take it from there.
Lay people can only function on the level of primary prevention, that is, assisting wellness. We cannot enter homes without permission, we cannot fix problems that are sociopathic, that is the job for social workers and law enforcement.
If you have answers on how to help the dysfunctional and those in abusive situations, please post below.
Imanuel
The accused was not accepted here. You hardly saw her, she was obscure. Someone commented, "she tutored". I answered, "not likely", and I asked, "do you have any information about that?" No answer.
(Update, October 2021 - Rabbi Leifer still has to beg men to form his minyan (prayer quorum). He PAID a Cohen ( a man who claims descent from Aaron the High Priest) in order to pray during the High Holidays. People are still avoiding the Leifers,)
You
cannot help it if a suspected criminal moves into your area. This same
blogger said that the community in Imanuel should have brought her to
justice. I asked, how can lay people bring anyone to justice? No
answer.
Again, if you have information as to how lay people can bring anyone to justice, please share, and, if you do, you really should have shared that with someone in Imanuel years ago.
Note there is no place on the following article to place comments, this article is so full of distortions, and no place to retort:
https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/a-haven-for-paedophiles-the-ultra-orthodox-settlement-where-malka-leifer-hides-20180612-p4zkx4.html
Again, if you have information as to how lay people can bring anyone to justice, please share, and, if you do, you really should have shared that with someone in Imanuel years ago.
Note there is no place on the following article to place comments, this article is so full of distortions, and no place to retort:
https://www.smh.com.au/world/middle-east/a-haven-for-paedophiles-the-ultra-orthodox-settlement-where-malka-leifer-hides-20180612-p4zkx4.html
Here is Jaskoll's
blog:
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/litzman-leifer-and-the-rabbis-against-justice/
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/litzman-leifer-and-the-rabbis-against-justice/
When
I responded to her comments about Haredim and about Imanuel, you
would think she would have been glad to hear that no, we do not like or
protect pedophiles, instead she engaged me in verbal gymnastics, did not
like the way I used the word "herem" (excommunication), sidetracked, etc.
Why would an apparently orthodox Jewish woman propagandize against Haredim?
You
need to understand the dynamics of some of the modern orthodox
community to understand some of their ingrained dislike for Haredim to
answer that one. You will have to study that further elsewhere, but in a
nutshell, the modern orthodox generally believe that Haredim should
have melded into their community and world view. Since modern orthodoxy
is easier to keep than Haredi Judaism, Haredim make Judaism look
difficult. If all the religious Jews were modern orthodox, then all the
secular Jews would have taken up religious observance.
Some modern orthodox thus hold contempt for both Haredim and secular, but do
not express contempt for the secular Jews openly. Their thinking is
that making religion easier will attract the secular.
This
does not really show an understanding of what secularism is, and is
really a form of contempt for the secular, but because the modern
orthodox spend their time in activism against Haredim, you often do not
see their underlying contempt for the secular.
You
keep a religion because you believe it is true, not because it is easy,
or easier than it used to be. Once you think something is true, you do
it even at self sacrifice.
Most
modern orthodox do not engage with Haredim, and they have a superficial
view of secularism. I think if they understood the various secular
world views better, they would cease this immature idea that people do
not keep a religion because it looks difficult. Secular people do
difficult things when they think there is value to doing those difficult
things. Examples are - nature lovers will hike in the frigid winter
sleeping in tents and making fire with flint because there is value in coping with the elements. Secular people will
attend arduous graduate programs in order to teach university students
at personal sacrifice. Secular people will devote their lives to their
artistic talent and forego material comforts while they labor at their
art, some living very simply to do so.
The modern
orthodox tend to be able-ist. They do not respect Haredim who have large families unless those Haredim also have large incomes. They can be the most difficult for Haredim to get help or care from. One wife of a modern orthodox dentist bragged to me that when Haredi patients come to him, if their teeth are not in good shape, he scolds them for having "too many children." This is not in line with medical ethics at all.
In the modern orthodox world view, Haredim do nothing. Nurturing large families is doing nothing. Learning Torah is doing nothing. When Haredim do accomplish in the fields of academia, business, the arts, literature, law, health care, they are marginalized by the modern orthodox, or accused of not really being Haredi.
Of course there are tolerant modern orthodox. But I am describing a dynamic that may explain Jaskoll's posture.
On the sadder side - Jewish history is rife with: one seat on the escape train for ten people, one bowl of soup for five mouths. So, be one of the "good Jews" and you will get that seat and bowl of soup. Jewish infighting and "who deserves to be rescued" led to more deaths than necessary during the Holocaust.
The Chabad-Lubavitch Hassidic leadership responded to this kind of "who is a better Jew" in order to get that seat and that soup, displacing the "unlikable Jews" - here was their response: every Jew is holy. And even with that, sex offenders find no haven among us.
(update October 2 2019 - the inflammatory rhetoric, connected to this case, against the Haredim in general, seems to have lessened lately. The articles that have been published since October 2 2019 are pushing to extradite, with nothing negative about Haredim or Imanuel, except for some inflammatory statements some readers have posted in the comments sections. One statement in a comments section suggests a trial and jail in Israel, no one is attacking her, like they attacked me when I suggested it a few months ago, see below. Perhaps my blog has pushed back some of the anti-Haredi sentiment, I do not know)
3. Accusations against Dr. Brian Trappler.
Dr. Brian Trappler, Director of Neuroscience Education at the State University of New York, gave testimony regarding Leifer's mental fitness. He was quoted as saying:
“Just looking at their pictures and listening to their comments should give you an idea that this is not a heimeshe or Hareidi crowd,” Trappler wrote, using terms describing the ultra-Orthodox."
You can see this in the following article:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/dozens-rally-in-support-of-malka-leifers-alleged-victims-outside-court-hearing/
This was used against Dr. Trappler.
Yet if you read Dr. Trappler's response that he posted in the comments section of this same article, he says that these comments were taken completely out of context. Scroll to the end of this blog to read his post, or look in that comments section.
4. Inflammatory rhetoric against anyone who offers alternative solutions to this case, like a trial in Israel, or against anyone who suggests she has a right to legal defense, or against anyone who states that one is innocent until proven guilty, or even against the suggestion that pedophiles should be in rehabilitation. Of course rehabilitation is a good thing!
5. Politicking. That is, don't vote for Aguda, since Knesset member Litzman is in the Aguda party, and he is being accused of telling a psychiatrist to tell the court that Malka Leifer is too mentally ill to be extradited. Since Aguda has backed Netanyahu in the past, smear the Prime Minister at the same time. You see where this is going, right?
(Remember LA Law? A young girl was on the stand in a trial against her father for molesting her. The father's lawyer asked the girl, "did your mother's lawyer tell you to tell the court that your father did this?" She answered, "yes". Grace, the attorney, shook her head sadly, seeing how the father's lawyer could use this to claim this case was a set up. She lost the case. Horrible story, and sadly true to life. Did you see the Hurricane? "Is this the man who shot you?" The bleeding man shook his head NO. Then the cop who wanted to nail the Hurricane said, "are you SURE this is not the man who shot you?" A nod of the head YES could mean, yes he is the man who shot, a shake of the head NO could mean, No I am not sure. But they were trying to nail blacks back then...is anyone trying to nail anyone nowadays?)
Are you sure that Litzman told anyone to lie? You were not there and neither was I. Innocent til proven guilty, right? Or if I say that, you'll castigate me too?
How about this: don't extradite. Try her here. Why is extradition being pushed to the complete exclusion of a trial in Israel? A trial in Israel would be the best deterrent to any Jewish pedophile r"l who thinks he can find refuge here.
Um, you know that the Aguda party is considerably larger than Litzman right? Now, anyone voting for Aguda is being castigated as a pedophile enabler. NOPE.
--------
The accused has been punished for this alleged crime in the following ways:
When the school where she taught at the time first heard of the allegations, they confronted her and fired her. She took the slim window to flee that very night to Israel.
She and her family have lived like fugitives since. They were obscure in Imanuel. Her family has suffered. She has a teenage daughter, who ended up not attending a school here, I do not know why, or where she went to school. This may seem trite, but, I heard they held a family celebration in another city, and as is the custom in Israel, hired a bus for whomever would like to attend; the bus was virtually empty.
I saw her husband try to form a minyan (prayer quorum of ten Jewish men from the age of 13) one morning. He was struggling to find anyone, it was a pathetic symbol of how obscure they were, and how people were avoiding them. His son used to call people and beg them to please attend the minyan with his father.
The accused has been punished for this alleged crime in the following ways:
When the school where she taught at the time first heard of the allegations, they confronted her and fired her. She took the slim window to flee that very night to Israel.
She and her family have lived like fugitives since. They were obscure in Imanuel. Her family has suffered. She has a teenage daughter, who ended up not attending a school here, I do not know why, or where she went to school. This may seem trite, but, I heard they held a family celebration in another city, and as is the custom in Israel, hired a bus for whomever would like to attend; the bus was virtually empty.
I saw her husband try to form a minyan (prayer quorum of ten Jewish men from the age of 13) one morning. He was struggling to find anyone, it was a pathetic symbol of how obscure they were, and how people were avoiding them. His son used to call people and beg them to please attend the minyan with his father.
April 18 2021 update - I saw two small posters advertising a "simcha" in the Leifer family, one an open invitation to a kiddush. I walked past the poster about 30 minutes later. The invitation had been neatly cut out from it's frame, the one next to it was slashed through.
She was on house arrest for a year and a half. She has been in jail since Feb 2018 with no bail. Her name and face is all over the net and news. The film taken of her by an undercover operation shows her speaking to family members and asking questions about prices in the store. I did not notice socializing other than that. No one from Imanuel has gone to support her in court as far as I know.
She was on house arrest for a year and a half. She has been in jail since Feb 2018 with no bail. Her name and face is all over the net and news. The film taken of her by an undercover operation shows her speaking to family members and asking questions about prices in the store. I did not notice socializing other than that. No one from Imanuel has gone to support her in court as far as I know.
She has been found guilty by the media already.
I cannot imagine what her life will be like if and when she ever gets out of jail. Looks like a 100% charity case.
She is facing either extradition and jail, or living like a fugitive and a rejected person in Israel. Reports say she has been "free" since she fled Australia - not really.
She went from being an important person to a socially isolated life.
The message is eminently clear to all - pedophiles will not find rest in Israel. Do not flee here, you will be socially rejected and the law will find you.
However, the media has been declaring that Haredi communities are a haven for pedophiles.
I cannot imagine what her life will be like if and when she ever gets out of jail. Looks like a 100% charity case.
She is facing either extradition and jail, or living like a fugitive and a rejected person in Israel. Reports say she has been "free" since she fled Australia - not really.
She went from being an important person to a socially isolated life.
The message is eminently clear to all - pedophiles will not find rest in Israel. Do not flee here, you will be socially rejected and the law will find you.
However, the media has been declaring that Haredi communities are a haven for pedophiles.
In my opinion the media attention in this case is putting people in danger by declaring that pedophiles are safe among Haredim.
These activists are claiming that the accused has a shadowy, underground system of support , including her brother who will "push" someone to the ground in court - an apparently staged provocation as you can see from the clip - these very claims will actually intimidate any member of the Haredi community from reporting suspected pedophiles!
In addition, people internalize imposed identities. If you tell Haredim, "you cover for pedophiles because of your concepts of family and community", they will, think, oh really? I guess we have to.
In addition, a pedophile may don a black jacket, enter a Haredi community, claim to be newly religious, and try to find haven. Again, I feel that those who are touting Haredi communities as havens are putting others in danger.
Think this through, do you think that Haredim cover for pedophiles or do you want to think that?
Be aware: in Haredi communities, suspected pedophiles will either be reported, as Rabbi Bar Lev did, or shunned!
In addition, people internalize imposed identities. If you tell Haredim, "you cover for pedophiles because of your concepts of family and community", they will, think, oh really? I guess we have to.
In addition, a pedophile may don a black jacket, enter a Haredi community, claim to be newly religious, and try to find haven. Again, I feel that those who are touting Haredi communities as havens are putting others in danger.
Think this through, do you think that Haredim cover for pedophiles or do you want to think that?
Be aware: in Haredi communities, suspected pedophiles will either be reported, as Rabbi Bar Lev did, or shunned!
In the following link you see skittish appeal from an obscure Rabbi for money for the accused legal defense team.. His non-specific language proves he does not have much support from the haredi community and neither does the accused: By the way, she indeed does have a right to a lawyer. This is also being blown out of proportion to smear the haredi community:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/ashdod-rabbi-appeals-to-residents-for-aid-with-leifer-legal-defense/
--------------------------------
The following video has been shared over 5000 times with the
subtitle, "Violence in the court-house..."
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2413842212229227
https://lostmessiahdotcom.wordpress.com/2019/03/18/malka-leifer-story-protester-supporting-victims-pushed-to-the-ground-by-leifers-brother/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6806157/Australian-rabbi-pushed-ground-accused-paedophiles-brother-Israel.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
https://twitter.com/mannywaks?lang=he
But look at the clip in slow motion on my FB page:
https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=2413842212229227
https://lostmessiahdotcom.wordpress.com/2019/03/18/malka-leifer-story-protester-supporting-victims-pushed-to-the-ground-by-leifers-brother/
https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-6806157/Australian-rabbi-pushed-ground-accused-paedophiles-brother-Israel.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
https://twitter.com/mannywaks?lang=he
But look at the clip in slow motion on my FB page:
https://www.facebook.com/1374597074/videos/10218301896803527/
פורסם סרט עם הכתורת
"אלימות בבית משפט - אח של לאיפר דוחף אדם סגל לרצפה"
אבל ראה את הסרט בהילוך איתי
Some were commenting on this original video on Friday March 15 that they do not see any Haredi man pushing anyone, but that clip, with all those questioning comments, is no longer online.
In slow motion, you see the blue shirted man approach the Haredi man, reach his left hand up to the Haredi man's right shoulder, then the Haredi man's right elbow rises (he is speaking on his cell phone with his right hand) and goes over the head of the blue shirted man, his right arm does not touch the blue shirted man. The blue shirted man then raises both hands, pushes himself inwards, wriggles, falls, rolls on the floor, and sticks his legs in the air.
The clean shaven man in the doorway wearing a brown suit, who looks like Manny Waks, speaking with an Australian accent, then raises his arms in the direction of the Haredi in a pushing motion as if to protect the one who "fell", then he says, "he pushed him! He does not want him to speak here!"
How did the man who looks like Manny Waks read the other man's mind and "know" that his motivation was to prevent someone from speaking? Also, they were all leaving the courthouse. How can you prevent anyone from "speaking" when everyone is...leaving?
Um, if you think someone is pushing you, why are you leaning in to his personal space? Move away, right?
The the blue shirted man walks around and stands in front of Leifer's brother, who is talking on his cell phone and walking to the door. The blue shirted man asks him, "are you worried about the welfare of the girls" while crossing his arms and apparently blocking Leifer's brother, who tries to get by, and the blue shirted man zig zags in front of Leifer's brother and blocks him, then at 0.29 seconds slaps his hands together, gesticulates with his hands in front of Leifer's brother, and makes a small pushing gesture, and says, in Hebrew, "hey, I am standing here, hey! Don't touch us!"
The Daily Mail article admits that (the blue shirted man) is blocking Trappler.
Are you sure it is okay to block someone? Would you like it to happen to you?
Preventing another person from moving freely is - you know that is wrong, yeah?
Standing in front of someone while they are trying to walk is - you know that is wrong, yeah? It's not just unkind, it's assault. It's illegal.
Then the blue shirted man wiggles and descends to the floor, sticks his legs in the air, and the man in the beige suit who resembles Manny Waks says, "he pushed him! He does not want him to speak here!" Leifer's brother looks astonished, a security guard leads Leifer's brother away, and the security guard gives Leifer's brother an apparent protective gesture, patting his right shoulder.
Um, if Leifer's brother pushed anyone, would not the security guard apprehend him? In fact, the guard seemed to be protective.
If he pushed anyone, in front of witnesses and captured on film, where are the charges?
Regarding
the accusation that "Ultra-Orthodox protect their own" - looks like
that is what these activists are doing - protecting those who engaged in
this staged, untruthful, inflammatory provocation. Have any of the
activists involved in this case denounced that clip? If not, it just
goes to show - extradite-Leifer activists protect their own.
----
If you are a relativist and believe that the ends justify the means, then you can stage a provocation, and broadcast inflammatory and inaccurate rhetoric about individuals and communities in order to reach your goal.
But you probably did not know about cultural Marxist dialectic - keep people arguing, polarize, inflame, make media happenings, public trust does not matter one whit because if you question the rhetoric against Haredim, against Imanuel, against Rabbis, or you question a staged provocation, YOU are pro-pedophile, and YOU will be the next target. As long as people are arguing, Marxist-inspired activists will always win, because the goal is the media happening, the fight, the drawing attention to oneself.
You never heard of Marxist dialectic? That is how insidious it is.
You say you are orthodox, not a relativist? You can be orthoprax and relativist, engaging in Marxist dialectic.
We should not cover up for pedophiles.
And we should not cover up staged provocations or inflammatory and inaccurate rhetoric.
---
From the above clip: "Are you saying the girls are liars?"
Flashback to To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
"you sayin' she's lyin' boy?"
"no suh I saying she's mistaken in her mind."
If you are a relativist and believe that the ends justify the means, then you can stage a provocation, and broadcast inflammatory and inaccurate rhetoric about individuals and communities in order to reach your goal.
But you probably did not know about cultural Marxist dialectic - keep people arguing, polarize, inflame, make media happenings, public trust does not matter one whit because if you question the rhetoric against Haredim, against Imanuel, against Rabbis, or you question a staged provocation, YOU are pro-pedophile, and YOU will be the next target. As long as people are arguing, Marxist-inspired activists will always win, because the goal is the media happening, the fight, the drawing attention to oneself.
You never heard of Marxist dialectic? That is how insidious it is.
You say you are orthodox, not a relativist? You can be orthoprax and relativist, engaging in Marxist dialectic.
We should not cover up for pedophiles.
And we should not cover up staged provocations or inflammatory and inaccurate rhetoric.
---
From the above clip: "Are you saying the girls are liars?"
Flashback to To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
"you sayin' she's lyin' boy?"
"no suh I saying she's mistaken in her mind."
See it at 28:50 minutes:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0XUlU2MCUv8&list=PLxzE4_wATlG7G5tVabE_OnyR033WZy2eR&index=42
and at 8:20
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L87mPqzPD88
and at 8:20
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L87mPqzPD88
-----------
II - A blogger says that the community of Imanuel should have brought her to justice.
I responded: "That is the job of the courts and the police. Palestinians are asked by the IDF to report known terrorists in their midst - they cannot. Low income people who live in housing projects in the United States are asked by the police to report who the known drug dealers are in their midst - they cannot. I have spoken to members of both populations. Bringing people to justice is the job of the courts and the police, not of "the community"
I asked her if she ever brought anyone to justice, to please inform us how she did so, and if she has such a system, why did she not inform the Imanuel community years ago how to do this? No answer.
I then posted:
"I
do believe that the spectre of extradition is making this case very
volatile. There are other cases of Haredim being tried for pedophilia
that made little press as they were tried and sentenced in Israel, and,
people do not like pedophiles. Extradition seems like being
banished to planet Mars...."
I then suggested a trial in Israel:
"It's clear where your allegiance lies. I shudder to think of the children in your care."
His rhetoric against me got worse than that.
The fact that he uses the word "allegiance" shows how polarized this has become.
I ask, why shouldn't we be able to seek new solutions when something is clearly not working? You gotta think outside of the box when things are not moving. Amazing how he could insult me personally and professionally for suggesting a trial in location A as opposed to location B. It may be warmed over hostility towards Haredim, or that this discourse has gotten so polarized that any hint of thinking differently must mean you are squarely on the side of the Other, and that is intellectually stifling.
A trial in Israel would bring closure. Given the focus solely on extradition, which could take years, and the seemingly staged provocation that I post in slow motion above, plus the misinformation about the Imanuel and Haredi community, it started to occur to me that there are individuals that want this case to be an ongoing media "happening."
That is why, imho - Forget extradition, with all the farce and media "happening" surrounding it. Any Jewish criminal who flees to Israel will be caught and tried in Israel. If found guilty and jail is mandated, jail in Israel.
INFLAMMATORY RHETORIC:
After the accused was jailed in 2018, a Satmar Chassidic family apparently offered to house the accused on bail until the extradition process was completed. I think this was intended as a humanitarian gesture. Commentators twisted this to say that haredim support pedophilia. That is not true.
You can oppose pedophilia and still think the accused is a human being, still wonder for her welfare, the welfare of her family, and think she should be treated humanely.
The following comments allegedly made by some Imanuel residents have been twisted by the media against Haredim:
"It is hard to believe she did this, her kids are so nice."
"It is a shame she is in jail."
Folks, these are not equivalent to creating a haven or protecting her. She is accused of 74 counts of abuse. Why is this number so high? Why not five accounts, ten accounts - because even to the victims this was hard to believe. Saying this is hard to believe is not protective. Saying it is a shame she is in jail is not protective.
Allegedly, some police tried to question neighbors, and the neighbors did not want to talk to police. That is skittishness in speaking to police, that is NOT protecting pedophiles. This also includes skittishness in talking to reporters and the like. If the police wanted neighbors to inform on the accused, they needed to call a formal meeting with the Rabbis of the town and with the residents and explain what they wanted and how to cooperate. I retorted to someone who leveled this accusation of non-cooperation with police, "I have a family and a job, I cannot be following her around to judge if she is psychotic or not. The police have to do police work!"
Or, guide lay people formally in this. They did not, and neither did you. Again, if you have a system for lay people in policing alleged criminals, post below.
-------------------------
Exploitation: first by Leifer, then by the media
The
Sapper sisters were awarded damages from the Adass school, they are
married with kids, they are articulate and
successful young women who have made great strides. As I understand it, they went from being in a state of personal
turmoil, to getting therapy, to uncovering these painful memories, then
speaking to a counselor (then the counselor alerted the Adass school of
the allegations), then to being interviewed in the shadows, to coming
out in public. They won a settlement from the Adass School. Quite a journey.
They were allegedly groomed and abused by Leifer. I wonder if someday they will reflect on whether they were groomed and exploited by the media.
This I say also in light of the fact that I see no evidence that they
do anything except demand Leifer's extradition. They do not appear to be
raising awareness about abuse in general terms. If they are, please
provide a link in the comments section below. I also say this in light of the MISINFORMATION that has been rampant in the reporting of this case, and that "Violence in the Courthouse" clip.
However,
if you follow their Twitter accounts and other social media, they do
not seem to have questioned whether creating a large media presence is
really the right way to seek justice; playing this out in the media
really can backfire.
Going to the media can indeed twist issues in ways that may backfire and decidedly NOT lead to justice.
But, journalists need to make a living.
If
you see their Twitter accounts, no one ever challenges them. I think
they have been in a house of mirrors, an echo chamber of sorts, Twitter
comments from their followers are invariably "good job!" and the like,
never a "are you sure you should take this to the press before a trial?
Sometimes lots of media attention can cause a case for a mistrial" or,
"I have met Haredim and they do not like pedophilia, I think your
portrayal of the Haredim is a bit unfair." Nope, just blanket "you are
awesome" and "yeah" cheerleader style comments, given no opportunity to
question whether this technique of going to the media was really the
right thing to do, or question the Violence in the Courthouse clip, or the threats against mental health experts who gave their opinion that Leifer is schizophrenic.
Seems like they were groomed by Leifer (allegedly), then groomed by the media.
One
of the sisters will even update her followers on her latest blood
pressure reading in response to an update in the media, or pre-trial gag
laws which actually may be ethical and just, but, gotta worry about
their blood pressure readings so no MP better initiate anything they
dislike. They were allegedly exploited by Leifer and now their state of
mind is apparently tied to - media coverage. Disagree with them and
their blood pressure will rise, they will be "aghast"...I am telling you
this is not healthy for abuse survivors, but, I suppose they are
"aghast" and the like when reading this very blog. Critical and nuanced
thinking, and indeed strong boundaries, are vital, and that is not
happening here.
---
Co-dependence
Abuse survivors need guidance in uncovering their part in continuing co-dependence and getting out of it. Strong boundaries are vital here.
For example:
"If your ex husband is not paying child support on time, you get it taken from his salary. Do not plead with him." Boundary: you are not responsible for his embarrassment in front of his boss.
Another example:
“If your ex husband is not respecting the religious teachings that you hold dear, you are not responsible for his soul or your children's souls. You do not plead with him." Boundary - a person is only responsible for his or her own salvation. All you can do is set a good example.
Another - you teach you children not to swear, but you ex uses swear words. You do not plead with your ex not to swear in front of the kids. You just say to them, “swearing is not the right way to talk.” and set your own example. Boundary - you are only able to control your own actions, and no one else’s.
Thus I declare, this whole media following is a dreadful example for abuse survivors. You will not become a star or featured in a long mini series like the Sapper sisters have.
I do NOT believe that NO justice has been served. Considering the pathetic existence of the Leifer family, her time on house arrest and nearly three years in jail, it seems that SOME justice has been served in this case.
----
Even Criminals deserve to be treated humanely:
Healing for pedophiles
I pray for healing for all ill people. I wish this discourse would also develop into advice for how the socially ill can heal. But it did not. Do not gloat that you are well, how do you know what may have happened to someone to tip the scale against them, turning them into a sociopath?
"How do you know it won't happen to you?" - Yoko Ono
Or to a loved one, r"l.
An accused or convicted criminal deserves to be treated humanely. They should have decent prison conditions, adequate food and shelter, visits from loved ones and those who can lend support. If she must be jailed for an extended time, it should be in a place where her family has access to her. Thus, if Leifer must be jailed for years, it should be in Israel.
Those who declare that anyone who visits an accused pedophile, or is concerned for the welfare of the accused and her family, must be "protecting pedophiles" or pro-pedophilia, is totally mistaken, and may be employing an intimidation tactic.
You want people to heal. Criminals belong in rehab, in therapy, they need to learn skills and learn to feel good about themselves, they need to be in places in which they can heal and return to functioning and safe members of society. This is a just and humane attitude.
-----
More on Haredim do NOT protect pedophiles:
Eliezer Berland posed as a Chassidic Breslov Rabbi some 30 years ago. Other Rabbis warned that the advice he gives cannot be trusted. In about 2016, he was found guilty of have sex with teenage girls. There was an outcry in the Haredi community that he is a "rasha merusha" - a thoroughly evil man, one who must be excommunicated, no one should follow him, anyone who continues to follow him will be unwelcome.
He was in jail for a couple of years.
June 2019 in Imanuel - posters were put up inviting people to gather with him before this Shavuot holiday. Within a short time, the posters were either removed, or his name and picture slashed through.
Some pamphlets were scattered on the street to advertise this event, something that people do in Israel, scatter ads on the street. Shortly after, you saw they had been ripped up and left there to remind people that he is unacceptable.
Next day - whoever scattered the pamphlets on the ground is now doing so not on the sidewalks, but off the sidewalks so they are harder to get at. They are still being ripped up or thrown away.
Rosh haShanah (Jewish New Year), 2019 - I heard that Berland travel to Uman, as is the custom in the Breslov Chassidic community, and that the men were preventing him from "having an aliyah", that is, praying in front of the synagogue. The Breslov community in Meah Shearim does not allow him to enter its synagogue. He tried to enter on Yom Kippur 2019 and the Breslov Chassidim blocked him from entry.
No, Haredim DO NOT protect sex offenders!
-----------------------
Dr. Brian Trappler states in the comments section of this article:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/dozens-rally-in-support-of-malka-leifers-alleged-victims-outside-court-hearing/
"Under the Freedom of Information Act I strongly suggest that anyone interested in pursuing the truth of this matter obtain a transcript of the court-testimony. What this would disclose, is the testimony that I provided the court in response to the Prosecutor`s charge that Malka Leifer be extradited from a High-Security Prison in Israel to Australia to stand trial for alleged sexual molestation.
The comments that I made in a Facebook Post were specifically addressed to one of the Rabbis of the Beth Din of Crown Heights who had posted a request on Facebook that the Crown Heights Community sign a petition demanding Malka`s extradition. Such a Post by a Crown Heights Community Rabbi appeared to me as being misguided. I had been requested to testify as an independent Expert Witness by Senior Rabbanim in Israel far more familiar with the case. The Rabbi in question immediately (and appropriately) removed his Facebook Post. This was entirely befitting as he was being railroaded into a case involving plaintiffs who were not part of his community and entirely outside of his jurisdiction.
My Facebook Post was subsequently used to spin a narrative portraying me as belittling the plaintiffs as not being religious by Crown Heights standards. In truth I only referred to the plaintiffs` identity only to highlight the inappropriateness of involvement of "Me -Too" activists in the Crown Heights Community mustering their religious and financial resources to influence the outcome of a case outside of their purview. Those in the courtroom would know that my testimony focused on the two pertinent issues in question:
1) Did Malka`s non-compliance with her "Orders of Condition" infer that she was a malingerer who feigned being Schizophrenic ?
2) If indeed she was Schizophrenic, did she meet the criteria of being "Unfit to Stand Trial" ? Regarding the first question, Malka had already been stripped of all home-visit privileges and placed in a High-Security Prison in Israel where she posed no threat to the community. For instance, none had noted that when she had abused her Day-Pass privileges, she had visited an OBGYN Specialist requesting a Pregnancy Test. Not only at age 56 and under the existing circumstances did that constitute a core DSM 5 indication of Delusional Thinking, but one that would be difficult to contrive by a malingerer unfamiliar with the architects of the "A-Domain of Schizophrenia" understood by a small circle of experts familiar with the literature of Schizophrenic Nosology.
She was Catatonic and receiving a combination of 5 Anti-psychotic and Mood Stabilizing medications. Psychiatrists who were now under pressure to re-diagnose her as "malingering" failed to follow the DSM guidelines of the "A-Domain", crucial to the diagnosis of Schizophrenia. While certain "Crow-Negative Schizophrenic Symptoms such as social withdrawal", can be fictitious, "Crow-Positive Symptoms like Catatonia and Somatic Delusions are virtually impossible to fabricate. None of the other medical experts utilized the P.A.N.S.S. - an established Psychometric instrument used to verify and quantify the presence and severity of Schizophrenic illness. So much for their claim of Fictitious Disorder (Malingering).
Regarding "Fitness to Stand Trial": Nor did any of the protagonists contending that she was indeed fit to stand trial make use of the "Fitness to Stand Trial Questionnaire", the universally accepted instrument in Forensic Psychiatry. It is comprised of 26 criteria required to establish whether a particular confined Psychiatric Patient qualifies or fails to qualify as being fit to stand trial. Studies have found that 50-70% of confined psychiatric patients fail to meet the criteria of being able to rationally direct counsel in their own defense or face prosecutorial interrogation. In the final analysis I was only one of several psychiatrists who testified.
The ultimate decision lay with the Judge. To state in a public forum that I testified against Malka`s extradition because the plaintiffs were not as religious as members of the "Crown Heights Religious Community" is a malicious attempt to misrepresent the facts and malign me with the Orthodox Community.
I also believe that those involved in fabricating that narrative had no intent other than to defame me and have Malka extradited to Australia "no-matter-what". Their M.O. (one which was also used against the Cabinet Minister Rabbi Litzman in Israel whose office was vandalized) was to demean, insult, and intimidate anyone from impeding their desired outcome. Engaging in such behavior, in particular during active legal proceedings constitutes "witness intimidation" which itself is unethical. To see a street-mob aided and abetted by the mainstream media was another example by these sinister actors of ensuring that the public be exposed exclusively to the false narrative they fabricated."
end of Dr. Trappler's statement
-------------
One wonders why activists advocating for extradition would risk losing the public's trust via a seemingly staged provocation and apparent misinformation in the media. I was personally in touch with three of the activists, who dropped me like a hot potato when I protested their statements about Haredim and Imanuel and when I suggested a trial in Israel.
If they really care about preventing pedophilia, would not they be glad that every school in Imanuel now has awareness programs to prevent pedophilia? Glad that the accused was not so "free" here in Imanuel? Glad that Rav Bar Lev turned in a suspected pedophile? Open to the idea of a trial in Israel? At least respond to the suggestion?
---
Prevention:
Help a neighbor. Dialogue with your kids every day. Prevent social illness in any way you can. Raise awareness. Report suspected abuse.
#malkaleifer #Imanuel #haredi #bringleiferback
Even Criminals deserve to be treated humanely:
Healing for pedophiles
I pray for healing for all ill people. I wish this discourse would also develop into advice for how the socially ill can heal. But it did not. Do not gloat that you are well, how do you know what may have happened to someone to tip the scale against them, turning them into a sociopath?
"How do you know it won't happen to you?" - Yoko Ono
Or to a loved one, r"l.
An accused or convicted criminal deserves to be treated humanely. They should have decent prison conditions, adequate food and shelter, visits from loved ones and those who can lend support. If she must be jailed for an extended time, it should be in a place where her family has access to her. Thus, if Leifer must be jailed for years, it should be in Israel.
Those who declare that anyone who visits an accused pedophile, or is concerned for the welfare of the accused and her family, must be "protecting pedophiles" or pro-pedophilia, is totally mistaken, and may be employing an intimidation tactic.
You want people to heal. Criminals belong in rehab, in therapy, they need to learn skills and learn to feel good about themselves, they need to be in places in which they can heal and return to functioning and safe members of society. This is a just and humane attitude.
-----
More on Haredim do NOT protect pedophiles:
Eliezer Berland posed as a Chassidic Breslov Rabbi some 30 years ago. Other Rabbis warned that the advice he gives cannot be trusted. In about 2016, he was found guilty of have sex with teenage girls. There was an outcry in the Haredi community that he is a "rasha merusha" - a thoroughly evil man, one who must be excommunicated, no one should follow him, anyone who continues to follow him will be unwelcome.
He was in jail for a couple of years.
June 2019 in Imanuel - posters were put up inviting people to gather with him before this Shavuot holiday. Within a short time, the posters were either removed, or his name and picture slashed through.
Some pamphlets were scattered on the street to advertise this event, something that people do in Israel, scatter ads on the street. Shortly after, you saw they had been ripped up and left there to remind people that he is unacceptable.
Next day - whoever scattered the pamphlets on the ground is now doing so not on the sidewalks, but off the sidewalks so they are harder to get at. They are still being ripped up or thrown away.
Rosh haShanah (Jewish New Year), 2019 - I heard that Berland travel to Uman, as is the custom in the Breslov Chassidic community, and that the men were preventing him from "having an aliyah", that is, praying in front of the synagogue. The Breslov community in Meah Shearim does not allow him to enter its synagogue. He tried to enter on Yom Kippur 2019 and the Breslov Chassidim blocked him from entry.
No, Haredim DO NOT protect sex offenders!
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Dr. Brian Trappler states in the comments section of this article:
https://www.timesofisrael.com/dozens-rally-in-support-of-malka-leifers-alleged-victims-outside-court-hearing/
"Under the Freedom of Information Act I strongly suggest that anyone interested in pursuing the truth of this matter obtain a transcript of the court-testimony. What this would disclose, is the testimony that I provided the court in response to the Prosecutor`s charge that Malka Leifer be extradited from a High-Security Prison in Israel to Australia to stand trial for alleged sexual molestation.
The comments that I made in a Facebook Post were specifically addressed to one of the Rabbis of the Beth Din of Crown Heights who had posted a request on Facebook that the Crown Heights Community sign a petition demanding Malka`s extradition. Such a Post by a Crown Heights Community Rabbi appeared to me as being misguided. I had been requested to testify as an independent Expert Witness by Senior Rabbanim in Israel far more familiar with the case. The Rabbi in question immediately (and appropriately) removed his Facebook Post. This was entirely befitting as he was being railroaded into a case involving plaintiffs who were not part of his community and entirely outside of his jurisdiction.
My Facebook Post was subsequently used to spin a narrative portraying me as belittling the plaintiffs as not being religious by Crown Heights standards. In truth I only referred to the plaintiffs` identity only to highlight the inappropriateness of involvement of "Me -Too" activists in the Crown Heights Community mustering their religious and financial resources to influence the outcome of a case outside of their purview. Those in the courtroom would know that my testimony focused on the two pertinent issues in question:
1) Did Malka`s non-compliance with her "Orders of Condition" infer that she was a malingerer who feigned being Schizophrenic ?
2) If indeed she was Schizophrenic, did she meet the criteria of being "Unfit to Stand Trial" ? Regarding the first question, Malka had already been stripped of all home-visit privileges and placed in a High-Security Prison in Israel where she posed no threat to the community. For instance, none had noted that when she had abused her Day-Pass privileges, she had visited an OBGYN Specialist requesting a Pregnancy Test. Not only at age 56 and under the existing circumstances did that constitute a core DSM 5 indication of Delusional Thinking, but one that would be difficult to contrive by a malingerer unfamiliar with the architects of the "A-Domain of Schizophrenia" understood by a small circle of experts familiar with the literature of Schizophrenic Nosology.
She was Catatonic and receiving a combination of 5 Anti-psychotic and Mood Stabilizing medications. Psychiatrists who were now under pressure to re-diagnose her as "malingering" failed to follow the DSM guidelines of the "A-Domain", crucial to the diagnosis of Schizophrenia. While certain "Crow-Negative Schizophrenic Symptoms such as social withdrawal", can be fictitious, "Crow-Positive Symptoms like Catatonia and Somatic Delusions are virtually impossible to fabricate. None of the other medical experts utilized the P.A.N.S.S. - an established Psychometric instrument used to verify and quantify the presence and severity of Schizophrenic illness. So much for their claim of Fictitious Disorder (Malingering).
Regarding "Fitness to Stand Trial": Nor did any of the protagonists contending that she was indeed fit to stand trial make use of the "Fitness to Stand Trial Questionnaire", the universally accepted instrument in Forensic Psychiatry. It is comprised of 26 criteria required to establish whether a particular confined Psychiatric Patient qualifies or fails to qualify as being fit to stand trial. Studies have found that 50-70% of confined psychiatric patients fail to meet the criteria of being able to rationally direct counsel in their own defense or face prosecutorial interrogation. In the final analysis I was only one of several psychiatrists who testified.
The ultimate decision lay with the Judge. To state in a public forum that I testified against Malka`s extradition because the plaintiffs were not as religious as members of the "Crown Heights Religious Community" is a malicious attempt to misrepresent the facts and malign me with the Orthodox Community.
I also believe that those involved in fabricating that narrative had no intent other than to defame me and have Malka extradited to Australia "no-matter-what". Their M.O. (one which was also used against the Cabinet Minister Rabbi Litzman in Israel whose office was vandalized) was to demean, insult, and intimidate anyone from impeding their desired outcome. Engaging in such behavior, in particular during active legal proceedings constitutes "witness intimidation" which itself is unethical. To see a street-mob aided and abetted by the mainstream media was another example by these sinister actors of ensuring that the public be exposed exclusively to the false narrative they fabricated."
end of Dr. Trappler's statement
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One wonders why activists advocating for extradition would risk losing the public's trust via a seemingly staged provocation and apparent misinformation in the media. I was personally in touch with three of the activists, who dropped me like a hot potato when I protested their statements about Haredim and Imanuel and when I suggested a trial in Israel.
If they really care about preventing pedophilia, would not they be glad that every school in Imanuel now has awareness programs to prevent pedophilia? Glad that the accused was not so "free" here in Imanuel? Glad that Rav Bar Lev turned in a suspected pedophile? Open to the idea of a trial in Israel? At least respond to the suggestion?
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Prevention:
Help a neighbor. Dialogue with your kids every day. Prevent social illness in any way you can. Raise awareness. Report suspected abuse.
#malkaleifer #Imanuel #haredi #bringleiferback
February 2021 - This is a poster calling for the excommunication of Eliezer Berland on the grounds that he admitted to pedophilia. This poster has stayed intact, in contrast to the anti-vaccine posters that have been put up of late - they are torn down, or ripped across so that you can see the poster and see the protest, or someone writes, "lies!" upon it. The excommunicate Berland poster, however, remains in tact for all to see because we all agree.
