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NEW YORK -- A religious counselor in Brooklyn's ultra-orthodox Jewish community was convicted Monday of the sustained sexual abuse of a girl who was sent to him with questions about her faith.
The courtroom was silent as Nechemya Weberman was convicted of 59 counts, including sustained sex abuse of a child, endangering the welfare of a child and other counts. He faces 25 years in prison on the top charge and two to seven years on the lesser charges.
The 54-year-old defendant and his relatives stared down at the ground as the verdict was pronounced. Some of the accusers' supporters smiled quietly.
The accuser, now 18, told authorities Weberman abused her repeatedly from the time she was 12 until she was 15.
Defense lawyers said the jurors, who deliberated about half a day, did not properly grasp the complicated issues.
"We firmly believe that the jury got an unfairly sanitized version of the facts," said attorney George Farkas. "As a result, the truth did not come out and the struggle continues in full force to free this innocent man."
The case was a crash course for jurors about the customs and rules in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn, home to about 250,000, the largest community outside Israel. It spotlighted the strict rules that govern the Satmar Hasidic sect.
Guarded community
Weberman is not a licensed counselor, but worked with families within his community for decades. The girl was sent to him because she had been questioning her faith, was dressing immodestly and showing an interest in boys, all violations of the sect's rules.
Prosecutors say Weberman molested the girl for years behind a locked office door. Defense attorneys argued the counselor was the victim of a vindictive child who was angry that he had betrayed her trust when he went to her parents after learning she had a boyfriend.
"When she found out that she had been betrayed, she went wild," defense attorney Stacey Richman said.
The trial has rocked the insular, tight-knit group, not only because of the shocking charges but also because the case was played out in a public court. The guarded society strongly discourages going to outside authorities.
The victim testified that she and her family were harassed and shunned for coming forward; her father lost his business and her nieces were kicked out of school.
During the trial, which began last week, three men were charged with criminal contempt for snapping images of the accuser on the witness stand with cellphone cameras and posting them online. And before the trial began, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes charged other men with trying to bribe the accuser to drop the charges.
The teen testified for three days about the abuse, detailing that Weberman forced her to perform oral sex and act out porn films. She said the abuse lasted from 2007 to 2010. Her family paid him $12,800 in counseling fees during that time, the victim's mother testified Monday.
"I wanted to die rather than live with myself," the accuser testified. "I didn't know how to fight. I was numb."
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"We firmly believe that the jury got an unfairly sanitized version of the facts," and
"The case was a crash course for jurors about the customs and rules in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community".
So forcing a child to have oral sex is 'sanitized" and a normal part of the customs and rules in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community?
"So forcing a child to have oral sex is 'sanitized" and a normal part of the customs and rules in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community?"
The answer is 'yes'. Oftentimes, religion is nothing more than an Hasidic 'beard' for sexual abuse. As far as this abuser goes, it was once said that a person whose head is bowed and whose eyes are heavy cannot look at the light.
Closed communities like this are ripe breeding grounds for all kinds of abuse, as the article shows the desperate lengths this community went to in trying to keep this hidden. I have heard of other orthodox jews who were shunned for coming forward with allegations like this. Just as the Catholic Church the Jewish community blames the accuser and not the perpetrator. Good for the family for resisting all pressure to drop this case. Unlike Catholic cases this wont lead to a big payout as there is no large organization to sue, so Im especially respectful of this family for resisting bribes from the Orthodox Jewish Community.
disgusting isn't it....
Hard prison time is going to "inject" it's own form of punishment.
Good luck with that..
This girl had questions about her faith, well he got it straight. These religious nuts will force anything down someone's throat. Right Monsignor?
It is too bad people trust religious leaders without much reservation. That is what makes all sorts of abuse possible.
@ Max... that's why I believe kids should be taught ABOUT their parents' religion, but not have it crammed down their throats. I come from a Catholic family, and I guess we're rather liberal, with divorces and birth control being accepted as a real part of life. Relatives who have put the "thumbscrews" on their kids no longer have them practicing the "taught" faith. When abuse is part of a religion, things need to be upended, with the perpetrators, like cockroaches, being subjected to the light of day, then squashed.
Just my opinion....
Where I live, I am surrounded by Hassids. Their contempt for anyone other than Hassidic white Jewish males is barely hidden. The fact they all rally around the pedophile and not the victim is disgusting. They actually were having fundraisers for this guy in my neighborhood, back when this man first was accused. The posters were all in Yiddish so no one from outside the "community" could tell them how @!$%#ed up they were.
Just another terrible religion that subjugates women...
Hassids are the Jewish version of Taliban
In the article, "The guarded society strongly discourages going to outside authorities." That certainly gives a sordid picture right there. How dare parents in the community react against this family; it appears to be a conspiracy against childen. As an earlier poster commented, the trust people put into religious leaders should not be an excuse for handing your children to be abused. Trust allows unknown abuses to happen.
Although I'm an atheist, I very much wanted to be able to say that this has nothing to do with religion. Sexual predators come in all shapes and sizes.
Unfortunately, it does have something to do with religion. Earthgirl hits it right on the head by focusing on the "guarded society strongly discourages going to outside authorities." To me, that's a problem.
Earthgirl also rightly focuses on "the trust people put into religious leaders," which exists in religious groups that aren't this small and guarded, too, but is certainly part and parcel of the "keep it inside the community" ethic. Maybe it's just me, but no one, no matter his or her profession, is taking my daughter one-on-one behind closed doors. If I can't be there, then a female assistant stays in the room in my place. It's not that I suspect everyone, it's just prudent to trust no one. (And when I was teaching young people, I would not be behind closed doors with just one student, either.)
Without unduly sexualizing or scaring our young children, it is important that every child be taught early and reminded often that if any person touches you in a way that you don't like or understand, you need to talk about it with someone you trust. I don't know whether this young woman had the benefit of such advice, but it wouldn't surprise me if many people in highly religious and highly insular communities don't believe it's necessary for them.
It is also very important, when a young person makes allegations of sexual abuse, to have him or her evaluated by an appropriate professional, if for no other reason than to immediately begin setting the reaction to the allegations going in the proper direction. Based on just what's in this article, it seems perfectly clear that this did not happen in this case.
There is only one thing that irks me in the Defense attorneys comments that didn't seem to be addressed in the rest of the article:
They are claiming the girl made up the story because of retaliation for narking on her to her parents.
Why isn't this being focused on by the press? I hardly think acting out porn is a part of Hassidic custom, so the "sanitized version" comment is probably taken out of context. That is irresponsible reporting. I would like to hear more legitimate details about the defense's case. When did this counselor reveal that she had a BF to her parents? Was it indeed around the same time the accusation was made or did it happen closer to the alleged abuse? Because that is a pretty important detail in a He said/She said case!
These cases very easily turn into witch hunts when girls have the benefit of the doubt. It is not uncommon for teens to play a false abuse card when they get pissed off enough. At the same time, parents all too often don't understand that religious leaders are human just like the rest of us. They are just as capable of being rotten AND charming all at the same time. Having blind faith in ANYONE, be it a priest, rabbi, principle, cop or even a friend or relative when it comes to your kids is extremely naive!
... just like it is naive to also believe every word that comes out of your child's mouth. They know how to lie, just like anyone.
Although I am reserving my own opinion about the case itself, the reaction by this secretive community is undoubtedly disgusting! Are they going to start a Football program too? Because they sure do have the Penn State cover-up process nailed down! Any group that is not being threatened by criminals or involved in crime themselves should never be afraid to have outside help unless there really is something to hide. They should be more concerned with finding the truth and protecting their community from either a teenaged liar or a sexual predator.
Obviously I have no facts and barely any of the story but I can't help but raise an eyebrow when I hear the 'she was devestated and afraid routine'. Sorry but that sounds very 1980's to me. In this day and age (2010), after the first time he 'touched' her, she should have told her parents and never went back. She has a boyfriend, dresses liberally and is doing all these things that require religious counseling, but she's afraid and terrified to report that 'some dude' is touching her? Sounds completly contradictory. Sounds alot more like this is something that 'someone who is rebelling and forced to see a counselor' would make up.
The man has now met all of the qualifications needed to be a Catholic priest. Certainly they will want to hire him when he is released from prison!
Either he acted inappropriately (sexually) with her or he didn't. If he didn't there would be no "facts" let alone facts that need sanitation, so their phrasing it this way is peculiar, at least in my opinion.
On the other hand, If he did do it, then he violated both his fiduciary duty to her as a religious leader and criminal law since she would have been a minor at the time of the acts.
I agree the timing is important but did it ever occur to you that the reason he ratted her out to her parents is because he was jealous of her boyfriend? That's the most effective way to kill two bird with one stone, have her parents get rid of his (perceived) competition and deliver her firmly back into his clutches. Maybe initially she was flattered by the attention he paid her and as a 12 year old didn't realize that he as an adult he shouldn't be engaged in the behavior with her that he was. What if telling about the boyfriend was in retaliation for her not wanting him any more? What if he threatened to expose her sexual activities with her boyfriend that she confided in him, to her parents? Since he did, maybe for her it was a situation of "you tell on me, I'll tell on you".
I'll be the first to admit I haven't a clue as to what actually happened because this is the first I've heard of this case therefore I haven't had the opportunity to review any of the evidence used to convict him. But I've seen scenarios played out like this in religious communities enough times to recognize the symptoms whenever they appear.
These cases are always awful to hear about. The timing is interesting. I wonder why the girl and her parents waited so long to come forward. There have been some cases, a few recently, where a 'victim' accused innocent men, often for revenge.Only years later it's discovered they are innocent when the girls, now grown up and feeling guilty, confess they had lied. Even then, judges won't release them often. It looks like this person used his position of trust to take advantage of a girl going through some issues with her family's religion.
Unfortunately, once again a person in a position of trust has abused that authority and place. I hope the family can move forward and heal.Meanwhile, this predator does not represent everyone in his Jewish community and hopefully will stay behind prison walls the rest of his life.It seems a rash of abusers has been in the news lately, especially teachers.Parents really must keep an open channel of communication with their children to help nip any problems in the bud immediately.
This has actually been in the news for a couple of years in NYC. It was very political and took quite a while to resolve.
Cash's "Folsom Prison Blues" will have a new meaning to this predator.
I believe this girl initially came forward years ago, and was silenced. She gave up on it, until, as an adult a few years ago, another child (male, this time) was making accusations about this "counselor". That is, from what I read a couple years ago, how a lot of this re-surfaced.
But who knows? Unless you're male Hassidic Jew living on my block, you'll never hear an "official" account of what really happened...
Having lived through such a trial, I can tell you that "the sanitized" version would favor the defendent and not the victim. It is an unfortunate thing that our society is often so repulsed by these issues that the victims feel judged. Parents be aware that predators don't come with a sign and often wear the clothes of friends, family, clergy and those most trusted by you. I learned the hardest way ever and my failure to protect is a grief that will never go away....time does heal and to this victim and all the others....I wish you healing, success and the joy of knowing YOU are okay and YOU should hold your head high....let the shame be to those who have earned it!!
So the Catholic church doesn't have a lock on pedophilia after all. Who would have thought.
Anybody who thought they did hasn't been paying very close attention to babysitters, daycare, relatives, scouts, schools, therapists, coaches, and even the BBC...
And here I thought all pedophilliacs were homosexuals.
Bill - only if they are priests.
well, captn, i dont think u have a full grasp of the statistics on that, but needless to say, it is not Catholic or Jew that is more disposed, but i'd argue the institution of celibate priesthood that is structured to fail on human sexuality.
So, because the catholic church does not commit 100% of child rapes, they don't have a problem? I don't remember anyone ever trying to claim that the catholic church has a "lock" on the problem. This disgusting cult has been raping children with impunity for centuries; it is only in recent times that children will even dare come forward about these things. The cases we know about [and there are many] is just the tip of a huge iceberg when it comes to the church of pedophilia. What kind of a man would agree to a celibate life? A man who's desires are unacceptable to society perhaps? A man who feels that he cannot act out his desires is obviously going to be more interested in celibacy. The church attracts pedophiles; the police force attracts bullies. This is just common sense and not saying that every priest is a pedophile or every cop a bully.
Only the ones who prey on members of the same sex.
Gary and Leroy, Catholic priests take vows of celibacy...no Jewish laymen. This man was not a Rabbi, let's just be clear. Albeit I don't deny that this problem is not isolated to priests only, there have been Rabbi's accused, prosecuted and sentenced for this as well. Oh, and Bill you need to read up on the differences between homosexuality and pedophelia....the two are not related in any way shape or form.
Kudos for this girl and her family for taking such huge risk and speaking out. This is simply WRONG WRONG WRONG, to shun the accused is just as sick and twisted and the abuse!
You are wrong on two counts.
1. Homosexuality and pedophelia are related in that they both describe sexual proclivities.
2. The words "homosexual" and "pedophile" are not mutually exclusive. A homosexual is someone who is sexually attracted to members of the same sex. A pedophile is someone who is attracted to prepubescent children. Therefore, someone who is attracted to prepubescent members of the same sex is a homosexual pedophile.
I agree with your definition Bill and in this case homosexuality doesn't apply. My problem is when people lump it together. Not all homosexuals are pedophiles and it is shown in the case as well. The word homosexual shouldn't even be discussed in this case. And as a survivor of child sexual abuse, I don't need a lesson on what a pedophile is.
Thank you. It is refreshing (and unusual) to find people on the vine who can disagree without being disagreeable. It is even less common to find someone here who will concede a point.
Agreed. This case concerns a heterosexual pedophile.
I am sorry you had to go through that. Children are our most precious resource. The world outside your door is painful enough. Home should be a place of refuge.
this "counselor" has also been accused by at least one boy, as well...
Bill H - Most pedophiles are actually heterosexual, or rather, bisexual in that they prey on any child, regardless of gender, but they are hetero in their adult relationships.
To clear the air: being homosexual, heterosexual or bisexual has nothing to do with pedophilia. Let's get the dictionary out. Any person who is sexually attracted to young children does not fall into any one of the above categories. Their sexual orientation is not the driving force ~ it's the age of the kids.
It's mostly dirty old nasty white men (bald) over the age of 45. The church is just one of the cover-ups. Look at Sandusky. Oh yeah and I don't see alot of poor child rapist either, you have to have some money to lure your victims and pay off families.
A
predator is a predator whether in Catholic robes or
wearing a beard and a yamaka it’s all the same. I live in an area where the
Hasidim are numerous and have seen many of the so called pius orthodox men
frequent the local adult book store hiding their identity under a hoody. That
in its self is not a crime but an indication that the appearance of religious
adherence
does not necessarily preclude that individual from acting on impure thoughts.
That
is also not an incitement of all people of the orthodox persuasion, most I am
sure are deeply religious and would never consider such things. The fact
remains that pedophiles come from all backgrounds and usually live two lives
that appear to be diametrically opposed. That’s why society in general is often
so shocked when a religious appearing person, a policeman, a school teacher or
any other person in a position of authority turns out to be a pedophile. The
fact is, the more removed from such things a person appears to be the better
the cover they are afforded by society for their devious pursuits. The sad fact
is we all need to be more conscious of this and be always on our guard not only
for our own children but all children. Sadly these people are very good at
getting away with what they do and usually get away with it for years before
being caught if ever.
So let's look at the Old Testament, Moses' law, the 10 Commandments, etc. A Hassidic male is breaking all sorts of their own rules and God's rules by looking at pornography or participating in any sexual activity outside of their marital relationship. Men who do this are the worst kind of hypocrits! Talk about "the mote and the beam." They need to live by their own rules before they try to beat everyone else over the head with them.
Religion and rape seem to go hand in hand; just like religion and war.
AND religion and politics, despite the 1st Amendment.....
Don't be foolish. Religion has nothing to do with rape or pedophilia or politics. Rapists, pedophiles and politicians use religion for their own gain.
There has GOT to be more to this. I can't understand why so many from their group would be so willing to attack the "victim" and her family unless there simply were more to the story than what we are hearing. Otherwise wouldn't they be thankful that she exposed this man for being the freak that he is?
jbird -- never try to apply logic or critical thinking to religion; it doesn't work.
They attack the victim because it is she (rather than the perpetrator) who is bringing their religion into disrespect. It is the same for muslim victims of sexual assault.
Nice try Johnny trying to deflect this despicatble act to someone else. Stick to the story, please...
Last part of the video states that other victims have come forward. Closed communities like this will always attack the victim who comes foward because they view any outside interference as a attack on the entire community.
Johnny's comment was very relevent and rather insightful Sam. How is he not sticking to the story?
I was giving the hasidic and islamic perspective on people who whistleblow or are abused by their communities. The blame lies squarely with the perpetrator and, in supporting him, with his community also.
It seems to me that the victims of these kind of crimes are always attacked or shunned before the truth comes out. Then there are the people that even after it is proved, still doubt it. Too many people have cried wolf before and abused the system for their own gain. It is a shame what has happened.
Annie,
Your comment above ("never try to apply logic or critical thinking to religion; it doesn't work") is inflammatory and prejudicial in the extreme. The man was found guilty of abusing a child. He used his religion as a cover for his actions, and as a way to have access to children. Look at Jerry Sandusky! He used his position of leadership in the same way, but you don't lump all college football coaches in the same bucket because of him.
Just because this pedophile was "religious" does not mean you can lump all religion together. It is offensive to those of us who hold our relationship with God very highly. I am an intelligent, logical, normal adult with a college education and a job as a health professional. I would never condone child abuse or any other kind of abuse by someone posing as a health professional or counselor, religious or not. I am not Hassidic, or even Jewish, but stop painting everyone with the same prejudiced judgemental brush.
sam, I don't think that you were paying attention to what johnny said in response to jbird's post.
This is the year 2012, not 1220. We no longer tolerate quaint customs such as serving up prepubescent young females to bloated middle aged perverts like so much sexual chattel. It doesn't matter what law you apply, civil, canon, or otherwise, 54 YO male + 12 YO female = PEDOPHILIA!
This short eyes is going to the big house, and he'll probably die there. That's his own doing. He KNEW what he was doing was wrong, he KNEW he was abusing and victimizing a child to satisfy his own selfish perverse lusts (and for a 54 year old man to become sexually aroused by a 12 year old child is NOT normal), and yet he chose to do so anyway.
Is he sorry? Sure, but he's only sorry because he got caught. I seriously doubt that if given the chance for a "Do over", the results would be any different. The one common theme with all of these child molesters (and if you read the trial transcripts,it's invariably in there) is their lack of self control. Statements such as: "Well I couldn't HELP myself" or "I couldn't CONTROL myself", etc. Bull...s@!t. At the end of the day, when you look in the mirror, you KNOW what's looking back at you. That is what being an honest, responsible, adult human being means. And the children who depend on you and the friends and family who depend on you, deserve better than a d*ck up their backsides in return for their trust. So if this guy's seriously expecting some kind of sympathy, he'd be well advised to look somewhere between s#!t and syphilis in the dictionary, because that's the ONLY place he's likely to find any....
Well said James Griffin I could not agree more
Actually, not. Unless she was extremely underdeveloped (which seems unlikely if she was dressing immodestly and had a boyfriend), she was not prepubescent. Once a child has reached puberty, they are actually no longer interesting to a pedophile.
James G: Very well said. Thank you.
Yeah this is 2010-2012... just sayin. Her routine about being afraid to come forward sounds like something out of the 80's. Anyone who knows anything about the youth of today would have a VERY hard time believing that a 16 year old girl would be afraid to speak up about something like this... especially seeing that she is dressing immodestly, has a boyfriend and all these things. This sounds more like an amish community where people have shunned modern living. Sure its possible, but sounds fishy to me.
Another religious predator and this time he was not catholic. Caught with your pants down literally, foolio...
True. If he were, he'd have been molesting a boy.
Hey, it could have been worse god; it could have been a dog that got molested!
Nice try Sam trying to deflect this despicable act to someone else. Stick to the story please...
I guess leroy couldn't think of anything intelligent to say.
is part of the stupid generation, is normal for him...
Just ribbing god about how he values dog life over human life. Inside joke that harkens back to an animal article where god and I had a heated exchange. Ignorance on your part I'm afraid, HH and Baco
your "inside joke" made you sound stupid to the 300+ million people who don't get the "joke"
You know, you never can tell who is lieing about something like this, so I won't make up my mind based on what I've seen but, when more women step forward you have to see that the evidence is overwhelming.
What we need is a motive for them to crusify this guy. Was his political enemies setting him up? Were then these women promiscuous? or otherwise known to get paid for sex? Those would be key for me to see his possible innocence.
Hannibalektr, did you even read the article? This guy was 48 yrs old abusing a 12 yr old girl. With the amount of pressure put on the family, also the lack of a large payout (no large organization to sue) its clear that something occurred.
Do you really think that most accusers are willing to go through the humiliation of the accusation, physical examination, depositions, having every time they look at someone disected by the defense, and so on as a lie? Granted, there are a few nutcases who do it out of revenge or to get attention, but they are probably close to 1 in a million. It is far more likely that the victim doesn't report the abuse. It is estimated that only 30% of rapes are reported, and there is a far lower percentage of child sexual abuse. The ones who come forward have fewer rights, less respect than the perpetrator. This girl has guts.
Hannibalektr ARE YOU SERIOUS?
Lets say she was throwing herself at him half naked and blah, blah, blah!
1) He is a counselor=unethical in any form
2) She is 12=not of the age of consent
= 3) IN WHAT UNIVERSE IS THAT ACCEPTABLE?
Hello is anybody home?
In what world does a 12 year old girl find a 50 something year old, balding, fat, bearded slob sexy? Give me a break!!
Square-did you read it? The article said 54.
I agree with other comments that it is his word against her's. But why would an 18 yr. old come out 3 years after the abuse? Unless there is more to the story (like an affair or money or other cause between them) then I believe her. What angers me is the locals view immediately that he is innocent and thet THEY have their own laws. BS! It's the 21st century. Grow up!
Shawply, in the video it states other victims have come forward so it does sound like cracks are showing in this closed community.
It is kind of common for children (and 15 is still a child) to be embarrassed or feel that they did something wrong. Further, it the Jewish Orthodox community, they instill a bit of fear and tend to try to police their own, which leads to fewer people coming forward in these types of circumstances.
Generally, coming forward is a type of cleansing. The boys who came forward in the catholic pedophile travesty were victims when they were altar boys, that would be between 8 - 18, and they came forward in their early/late 20s. Learning that the fault lie with the predator and not within the victim is the first step. It's a long haul to getting to the point where legal action against the predator comes into view. Victims who seek only monetary or revenge payback very seldom heal well.
Anyone who does this is NOT a Chasid; he's a chazer (pig).
The Satmar are a weird cult -- they're a very insular sect that doesn't even support Israel as a Jewish homeland. They're a little mishugge (crazy).
Lubavitcher, however, are very welcoming and accepting, as the Rebbe (Of Blessed Memory) prescribed.
May the victim have peace. Num 6:24-26 for her.
All organized religions are cults at the end of the day. If you believe it, it is religion. If you don't, it is a cult. Just because you trick more people or con them out of more money, it doesn't change that fact.
Maybe if we spent more time and money teaching kids math and science instead of this nonsense, society would truly progress...
I'm Jewish, reformed. A lot of us think the Hasidic ultra Orthodox are nuts for the record. :)
I second that.
There will always be adult sexual preditors who take advantage of younger boys and girls who rely on them for counsel, whether it's in a Catholic Church, among the Satmar Chassidim, or in State College, Pennsylvania. In insular communities there is great pressure on the victim not to reveal the abuse because his/her family will be punished, shunned, exiled or ruined financially.
For a look at this issue among the Satmar, I recommend the novel "Hush" by Eishes Chayil. The author was raised in the Satmar community and witnessed the incestuous abuse of her best friend, who later committed suicide because she was accused of making it up, or threatened with family ruin if she reported it. The author adapted her true experiences into this novel and it's a shocker, even for a secular Jew like me, who was taught as a child that "Jews don't do this kind of thing." I found out later in life that my (now deceased) mother was sexually abused by her stepfather, the man I considered my grandfather.
If you know of a child being abused, whether sexually or physically, have the courage to report it and encourage the child not to keep it a secret.
I'm glad the jury looked beyond the beard and garb and saw the monster beneath in this case.
OK, OK...I've got it now...catholics prefer boys, jews girls and christians men.....family values indeed
All organized religion is ridiculous. A waste of time, money, and (in this case) innocence.
Just one more example of an organized religion screwing up people's lives. Is anyone really suprised? The real question is, why aren't all of these snake-oil salesmen arrested for conning people everyday.
Because people are like Sheep and believe anything they are told when it comes to Religion. A strong mind would not be fooled by Fairy tales of someone living in the sky. Thats why religious people want to get hold of children at a very young age so they can Brainwash their minds with that Crap. Parents that let their children be taught Religion should be charged with Child Abuse.
For a so-called "independent thinker", it seems rather closed-minded to try to pin something as secular as the evils of human nature on something so narrow as religion. It sounds like you're just looking for something to blame. Do you really think war, sexual abuse, and oppression will go away if religion goes away? Religion is as much a victim in this story as the girl is. I'm a computer programmer. Does that mean when I speed that programming leads to speeding?
Mattt - 'theindependent thinker' is obviously one of the anti-religionists who don't think any one else is entitled to an opinion or belief that he/she doesn't agree with. Of course war, sexual abuse, and oppression won't go away if religion goes away. Look at Communist countries which don't allow religion - the oppression is total; sexual abuse is absolutely okay as long as it is the internal police or ruling party doing it and their kids aren't the victims; and they are constantly encouraging wars to spread communism. Religion provides morals, ethics, and compassion. Only the worst cases are in the news; the billions who actually follow their religions are ignored.
I concur, in this day and age, organized religion seems to be providing more harm than good. You can be a good person without being a "Christian". You can teach your child morals without the bible thumping.
Doesn't make me warm and fuzzy to be a Jew! I hope he enjoys his 'oral sex' in prison.
Is Assailant a Muslim ???Wait a Minute he is NOT a Muslim but a nut from amongst us??? Wow he does NOT read quran presumably a book of hatred but is a Torah reader ??? he is NOT a follower of Muhammad but follows Moses?? and is NOT from Iran Iraq ,Afghanistan or Pakistan?? but from within our great nation .....Na its an isolated case but Moslem,s isolated nutcases are responsibility of every freakin muslim but over here we are not responsible for our nutcases, its THAT individual,s responsibilty ....... we are peace loving hypocrites and religious bigots. if one of the crazy mentally challenged does it from amongst muslims we hold THEM collectively repsonsible for that one idiots deeds. All speech is hate speech if its by their(moslems) ministers but hey we call our hate preachers and war mongerers as peace trumpeteers and isolate our crazies pedophiles or abusers as not from amongst us but lump their ( moslems) as ALL together . Free speech (no matter how much we put them down or pun their prophet) and Freedom is our call and Free Speech by them(moslems) is hate speech . If anything wrong happens automatically like a knee jerk we blame their (moslem) book and prophet and hold them accountable as ALL for their (mos;ems) One or few . If you legitimately say a word against Israel or zionist its labelled Anti Semitism but same is said against Moslems its lableled as right and justified . And part of FREE speech hip hip horray
Milton meet asshat....You two will good good together...
The jury stood up for this young woman and all the other children this creep abused. Now the Judge has to hammer him and send him away forever.
Pedophile, plain and simple. This is not the first girl he has assaulted but hopefully it is the last, I cannot believe that the WHOLE community is in DENIAL of what has been and STILL going on in closed communities. I am amazed that Hynes finally grew some balls and followed through on this prosecution of that low life bastard.
What get's me is that that sleazeballs wife who gave him 10 kids actually showed her face and supports her husband, she knew what was going on and is also guilty, I am waiting for the appeals process to begin when they start shaving years off his sentence. When all is said and done he will only wind up serving 10 years or less and be free to molest again.
he should be castrated.
things change slowly..... but they do change. he will serve and if only for a short while his life may be forfeit because he is a child molester and he is a Jew. He will not come out of jail as he went in. His community will forever be talked about because of what the community did to her family and the money offered to shut her up. Every time a child comes forth, it gives more children the courage to do so. and as to why she waited till she was 18? She can charge him because she is an adult and cannot be shut away or sent to another community as would be more than permissible as a child. Children can be shut up, by being beaten, shunned, scared out of their wits and driven to suicide. children can be shown how their parents will be shunned, businesses ruined and out numbered by a community. that is why the law allows for the victim to become an adult and still accuse.... to protect the victim. Her life is still not safe unless she literally walks away from everything and everyone she knows. She will be seen as the one who brought shame upon the Jews and this makes it not only okay but probably the person(s) who attack, maim or take her life will see as heroes for defending their religious community. I cant even be sure her own family, who has paid such a price, will not shun her now that the dust is settling. My friend stood up and won and even though shunned by all including her family, my family (nonJewish) took her in and one day she didn't return from work, the police were called and we had to wait 24 hr to start a search and she was found.... brutalized, dead in the dumpster behind her Synagogue. Religion didnt kill her. The truth did and this truth brought too much shame upon a community who did not cry, not even her parents, for her death. Her parents suddenly had financial help in starting a new business and I, personally, wished them everything horrible thing I could. It didnt help. that was 2 decades a go. I still hate them for not giving her a proper funeral or that they living a good life after her death. They are old now, infirm, and broke again. Good. It is more than they deserve. I pray for the children this monster has injured and hope he goes to jail on consecutive sentences wo parole, they are harder to appeal. I hope her friends wait for him. and continue to tell the story of his horrendous crime just like I did. Never letting my friend be forgotten or her death becomming a cold case. Forgiveness? I am imperfect. Unable to do it. I still look for killers. I still shine shame on their community which has gotten smaller as the decades passed because of the bad publicity. I should have done more. I should have moved her far away maybe she would be alive. I dont forgive myself either. I should have known it they could violate her for 5 yrs that the community would blame her. I hope someone steps forward and helps this young girl start over far way, somewhere safe, and tells no one where she is. not even her parents.
Real case in Richmond, Virginia. 36 year old (white) women got 25 years in jail for "sexting" a 16 year old student that was in her class. She got all that jail time for sending pictures of her boobs! These sick ugly old nasty white bald @!$%#er$ get off easy compared to this poor lady. What has our society come to.
This guy will get off with a light sentence if any because he is a Jew. And because he is a Hasidic Jew. Everyone knows Religious people don't do these kind of crimes. Just ask the Catholic Church.
Jewish law admonishes against accepting the claims of a single witness. As other alleged victims have come forth, it seems that those in the community should heed their own tradition of paying attention to sufficient testimony to indict this individual. Anything less is to ignore tradition and, above all, the word of G_D.
Read in the Holly Bible "S.Matew 15:3" "why you traspass the commandments of God for your traditions ?" (also 15:2)
Sexual accusations sit funny with me, after a friend of mine was accused. He was accused of one account, meaning he did this once at the age of 17. Was questioned at the age of 18 and told this was not jail time. Due to his parents inability to pay legal fees he pleaded out and was sentenced to jail, was released months after with a probation of two years. His probation officer released him after only a year, with in seven years a different judge actually gave him an expungement of record. Some other things went on, but I am not saying the girl was not touched, but I am almost positively sure it wasn't by him. This girl has since being adult has tried to rent a house from him and has tried to add him to one of her social networking sites. Thank god he didn't let this take him completely down.
If obama and his retarded liberal cronies were half as smart as they think they are, they would see that legalizing pot (which is far less damaging than alcohol, a legal drug) would serve 2 immediate purposes.
One - immediately make drug cartels (at least pot cartels) obsolete.
Two - Be able to tax the crap out of people, while regulating the quality and still people would be paying less then the inflated cartel drug prices.
Meaning, actually make some headway towards paying down that 16Trillion dollar deficit they've amassed.
and third it would be a great way to attract tourism...
I can see the ads now "Disney with a Smile !!!"
Only a genuine dimwit would talk about drugs on this thread. Guess he couldn't wait to see his user name in lights.
Got lost on this one-I didn't see where this guy was smoking weed with the girl. What are you talking about?
Typically, when religion is involved, it's 'Blame the Victim' time. Catholics, Evangelists, Mormons, Jews, Muslims, the list goes on and on, the cases become more numerous, and again it's all about 'saving the man.' No wonder society cannot evolve beyond the discrimination rooted in the 'to serve men' books that all of these people worship, written by MEN thousands of years ago. It appears the very worst of criminals are always hiding behind one of these archaic books in the guise of the 'holy' and are often 'wholly insane.'
Criminally stupid parents: YOU are the last line of defense for your child. ANYONE is a potential child molester, from the 13 year old babysitter, to your priest, doctor, Uncle Bob, or Mom's new boyfriend. You keep your eyes open, and you don't trust anyone behind closed doors with your child. Better paranoid than regretful.