© ReutersHushed up: The Orthodox Jewish community has been reluctant to turn suspected child abusers over to authorities in the past but an initiative in Brooklyn aims to help victims come forward
117 alleged victims spoke out from tight-knit religious societyAn Orthodox Jewish community has had to face up to claims of child sex abuse after 83 men and two women were arrested.
An initiative was set up to encourage victims to come forward despite pressure from the close-knit religious society to hush up the crimes.
Some 117 male and female victims have approached authorities in Brooklyn, New York since 2006.
According to the
New York Post, one suspect Andrew Goodman, 27, worked with Jewish charities involving vulnerable young people and the disabled.
He was charged with sexually abusing two Orthodox boys at his home in the Flatbush neighbourhood last September.
One child was abused between the ages of 11 and 15, the other from 13 until he was 16 years old.
Goodman reportedly filmed sex acts with the boys on a webcam after plying them with alcohol in his bedroom and making them watch child porn.
Neighbours had filmed Goodman sneaking the children into the home he shared with his parents and sister between 3am and 5.30am.
In the surveillance tape, Goodman was seen opening his front door for the boys, according to the Post.
Lubricants, empty liquor bottles, boys' clothing and a butcher knife were discovered in the 27-year-old's room.
Goodman's lawyer Izzy Fried told the
New York Post that the alleged victims were 'troubled kids' and his client had provided them with a 'safe haven'.
He also threatened the life of one boy who reported him to authorities, it has been claimed. Goodman has pleaded not guilty.
He is being held at Rikers Island Prison until his next hearing on December 21.
After being shown the footage in court last September, Judge Patricia DiMango set the suspected paedophile's bail at $1million.
Brooklyn District Attorney's office had been accused of being soft on child abusers which lead to steps being put in place to make it easier for suspected victims to come forward.
The plan was called
Kol Tzedek which translates from Hebrew as 'voice of justice'.
DA Charles Hynes instigated the outreach programme which offers a confidential hotline and access to 'culturally sensitive' social workers from the sex crimes bureau.
Assistant DA Rhonnie Jaus, head of the child sex abuse division, said 38 individuals had been prosecuted so far with 14 abusers jailed.
Sentences varied from one month to 20 years for crimes including sex abuse, attempted kidnapping and sodomy.
However 24 alleged paedophiles were not jailed. In some instances, the case against them collapsed when victims and their families backed out of giving evidence in court following pressure from the religious community, according to the assistant DA.
Authorities have another 47 cases pending.
The Orthodox Jewish organisation Agudath Israel of America, which has its headquarters in Manhattan, rules that anyone who claims to have been sexually abused by another Jew must consult rabbis first.
Only then is the decision made whether to go to secular authorities.
Goodman worked for OHEL Children's Home and Family Services which provides care for vulnerable children and disabled adults. The non-profit group aims to help victims who have suffered domestic, sexual or emotional abuse.
It is clear this is a worldwide problem that has very little to do with one's stated religion. Obviously, some abusers have received protection from some clergy. Some abusers are clergy.
What is even more clear is that no one seems to have a clue about what to do about this.
Here is what I have learned about the problem of immoral conduct:
1. The urge to abuse is what we call "case." In stark terms, the aberrated person accepted the command to be an abuser under duress. He was abused in order to make him into an abuser. What "modern" psychology does not account for is the possibility that such programming was laid in many lifetimes ago. It will haunt the person, yet be considerably beyond the reach of most techniques to reach and undo it.
2. In the absence of sufficiently robust case remedies, and in order to make society function, moral guidelines are set up and enforced. In the past the strongest enforcer was the church (or at least it was thought to be the church). A somewhat weaker enforcer was government. It was considered that secular governments were more easily coerced to look the other way when their own members were involved in immoral activities. Now it seems that churches have always had a similar problem - the same problem, really.
When case tempts us to sin, this creates a problem for society. The force preventing us from sinning must seem stronger than the force making us want to. If the perceived balance of forces lean to the side of sin, then more sin will occur - unless we find a way to handle cases.
3. A certain number of persons in a society (1 to 3 percent?) are walking around with their cases turned on so strong that they are completely overwhelmed. We call these people (in modern usage) psychopaths. These people act like they are being remote-controlled. The more clever of these will ceaselessly work to make society "safer" for their kind. It's weird, because this work, too, is totally irrational. Most of them would not feel safe unless they were left totally alone for a considerable period of time. Getting rid of people, particularly troublesome ones, becomes an unending passion for such cases, along with pursuing their favorite impropriety, of course.
And so society, if it remains ignorant of all this, tends to descend to the level of case.
We are seeing this happen on this planet.
We are also in a position, finally, to do something about this. We are finally in a position to handle case. I think it's about time we got started.