A debate over how to report child abuse crimes in the orthodox Jewish community was tense and at times violent as it spilled into the streets on Wednesday night. A Crownheights.info reporter was at the scene.
Protesters Clash with Supporters of Accused Pedophile
A debate over how to report child abuse crimes in the orthodox Jewish community was tense and at times violent as it spilled into the streets on Wednesday night. A Crownheights.info reporter was at the scene.
Police arrested at least two people from Jewish community after rushing the gate where protesters carried signs and voiced criticism for the fundraiser intended to raise money for a man accused of abusing a teenaged girl.
At the center of it all is Nechemya Weberman, a Hasidic counselor charged with molesting a girl over a three year period.
His supporters don’t believe the charges are true.
Inside the event, a collection was set up. Some people dropped off checks.
But the protesters say the fundraiser is about more than a rally and represents the attitude to protect the accused and criticize the accuser.
Chava
What a pig. He makes me sick. He knew full well what he was doing and knew he would get away with it. He probably never thought she would be brave enough to report him and now that she has no one believes her anyway. Poor, poor girl. Kudos to her familiy for standing by her and reporting this.
mendoza
SARAH RIVKA NICE SHOW OF SUPPORT .. KOL HAKOVODE ,,,HASHEM SHOULD PROTECT ALL YIDASHA KIDS AND ALL KIDS IN THIS VERY ROUGH WORLD THAT WE LIVE IN AND WHICH WE TRY TO MAKE IT BETTER
shlomo as always with bad English
alma de shikra
on the end victim will be triple victim if he/she copmlain
bushavehirpa
shlomo as always with bad English
it seems, that most supporters as usual simple come to free diner))))))))))
My Opinion.
Let the LAW decide what happens to an alleged criminal. Unless you were a witness to the actual crime, Don’t jump to conclusions. The reason we have a Judicial system is to determine the truth. Protesting is not going to help and neither is criticizing someone when you don’t know with absolute certainty that they committed any crimes.
At the same time, I agree that they should not be defaming the girl or her family. But if the whole story was fabricated, I don’t blame them.
SMR
OK so this guy is a pig and as such you the Jewish people have to support his wife and kids as you collect money for SMR’s family. when a Jew chooses to litigate in secular court all the pigs who found him guilty before trial are just pigs if the law of the land is to prevail he is INNOCENT UNTIL PROVEN GUILTY.
as we have seen in our own crown heights how 6 Jews were on trial just for being Jews and found innocent.
now when this pig weberman lost his PARNOSO YOU have to feed his live widow and live orphans
counselor ?
Does anybody know this “counselor’s” credentials? Does he have a degree? is he just an “eitzu geibber”?
Not that it makes any difference as far as the pain and hurt of the victim… Its just that the accountability is greater, if he is certified.
Floridan
I believe Weberman’s grandfather is a Lubavitcher/Malach chosid, with a powerful rabbinical position in Miami.
DaasTorah
These chassidim don’t have the best grasp of English. Perhaps they should consider appointing a spokesman?
avigael
would have i know of this gathering I WOULD HAVE BEEN THERE!!!!!
is absolutely unacceptable to protect an abuser, not the victim!
shlomo as always with bad English
to#5 you are right, but can you remember at least i fundraisers event for victims? or it for abuser(suspect) only?
to Number 5 In my opinion
Maybe you should have reconstructed your comment to first say
“ I agree that they should not be defaming the girl or her family.”
You would have my trust as not being a predator yourself.
I was at the protest. Not one of the people I asked giving money could tell me why this girl would “Make up” this story.
All they could say is that “They know he didn’t do it”
Can you or anyone give me a reason why she would? Especially in a place like Williamsberg were making a REAL charge against
a abuser is looked downed upon.
Esther
The anger and frustration that stirred a protest have nothing to do with Weberman’s actual guilt or innocence. This should not be the sticking point where we refuse to see where the anger and frustration comes from. The protesters are there to bring light to the fact that when reporting abuse in a manner that will effectively stop an abuser comes at a steep, steep price to the victim (social stigma, isolation, possibly even violence,) a community creates a culture where abuse can continue unchecked and unabated. No one wants to retell and relive abuse- going to the police is a last resort because NOTHING ELSE HAS WORKED. Bravo to brave victims who don’t want another child to experience the same horrors. Bravo to brave victims who make great sacrifices to protect their sisters and brothers, friends and neighbors. Abuse leaves lifelong scars. It is high time that certain attitudes evolve- protecting children should always come before keeping secrets.
As for the commenters who don’t want to help support an abuser’s wife and children, please remember that they are victims, too. And the price of allowing an abuser to victimize children is too great to contemplate.
Rabbi Webernan, in Miami, is for victim
I know that, in the past, the grandfather, Rabbi Weberman in Miami, would be on the side of the victim. Just wondering if he would be consistent, now that a relative is accused of abuse.
Pray for the truth
Rabbi Weberman from Miami is not his Granfather, don’t start lies and Rumors
willi
how does anyone know what happened, were the protesters in the room and saw what happened? maybe the girl
To #8
To. Umber 8
Stop your rant. Rabbi Weberman in Miami is NOT his grandfather.
How dear you?
dont forget al sharpton
al sharpton is always running to the aid of the victims, and look how many times he was wrong
dont be so quick to judge
is rubashkin guilty?
he was charged, and everyone still said he was not guilty.
who decides who is guilty and who is not?
zimmerman fan
if you protest for the victims then you should protest for rmartin in florida
Protest
I wish i was there to protest their pedophile fundeaiser.
I was an English teacher for satmar of eilliamsburgh. They had a guy called the “manager” who would go to all classes and hit any kid misnehaving. Bunch of animals.
Pinchow
The Malochim are a very tiny community in Wiliamsburg.
Their membership is mainly Satmar.
The original Rabbi Weberman broke with Chabad in the times of the Rebbe Rashab.
He came to America to and set up his own Shtibel.
mendoza
RABBI PINCHAS WEBERMAN FROM MIAMI BEACH IS A GR8 UNCLE TO THE ACCUSED
chanief
Well said, Esther.
Dovid
This all come from such ignorance, sadly a widespread phenomenon in our communities.
Thinkster
It’s quite amazing that we like to judge the actions of these insular chassidim against modern standards of justice and fairness, ideas which they apparently have no concept of. Their perspective is unfortunate, and their thinking needs a fundamental paradigm shift.
On the topic of guilt of innocence – this guy Weberman is not guilty until proven so in a court of law. These are the standards that we, as modern citizens of justice, believe in. At the same time, he has been charged, and these charges must prima face be taken seriously. To raise funds for such a person is abhorrent.
schmuel
It is sad…. if true the girl should be helped as her family… the man should also be helped and prevented from being around young girls… should we throw him and his family to the goy s prison … it is said that 80% of human beings that abuse were themselves abused… will destroying this jew and his family help bring Moshiach! will it strenghten yidishkeit?…i think all it will do is bring in more ny times reporters and their haskalahish “solutions” into our community….. the failure of secular schools prove to trum world…look what they are doing in sweden…we should handle these situations in such a way to protect children by providing a safe place to report such abuse as well as act strongly to prevent further abuse by counseling of the abuser and restricting access to children….if it is found to be true .. .
..
I see crown heights watch made an appearance.
disgusted!
Even if he is innocent? the way they treat someone who says they were abused is so so wrong making other pple to scared to ever come forward.which gives abusers protection to continue destroying our children. Children see that they wont b belived no matter what and realize their is no way out. could u imagine how scary it is for the child?
so all these pple are running to protect a man that might of abused a girl or more????? so to protect these jews the children are the kaporos?
if their is even a chance that a child is being abused everything in the world should b done to protect that child!!!!!!!!!!!
Fact
His great uncle from Miami tried very hard to use his strong political power to stop the case from going forward
NoYechi770InJerusalem
# 22 It wasn’t a Weberman that broke away from Chabad in the times of the Rebbe Rashab it was Rabbi Avrohom Ber Levine known as the Malach.
The story goes that he spoke motzee shem ra on the Freidiker Rebbe & the Rebbe Rashab banished him from Lubavitch.
He became the rov a shul in the Bronx & attracked talmidim from Torah Vodaas who were American bochurim who became his chasidim.
The malocochim is not made up of Satmars but of those that broke from Torah Vodaas & became Levine’s followers & their descendants.
yitzchok c in Jerusalem
Disgusting! This is the reason more abused don’t come forward and prevent things like this from happening. In the 70s some poor kid being abused by his step parent had to approach the Rebbe during a farbrengin because no one else would help him and his siblings and stop them from being abused. Of course the Rebbe saw to it that the abuse was stopped. How shamful is that?
Numbers 8 & 30
What is YOUR agenda? do you think people don’t know ??get a real life FAST.
SRZ
My daughter came home from school one day and told me about a horrific ordeal that her friend is going through, my daughter has gone to school with her for the last two years.The story is heart breaking it turned out to be the girl in this story.
The principle of their school is an extremely respected educator, he noticed that the girl was just not right, after speaking with her he new she was holding back something.
After getting permission from the parents the school had forensic therapist come in to evaluate and only then is when the truth came out. Since then others have come forth saying the same about “Weberman”. When my daughter told me the final piece to the story that the community was against her and everyday she walks through the street outwardly ridiculed it was to much to bare, so I decided to put everything a side and go to the protest and let her know that is not the opinion of every member of a Jewish Orthodox community.
When I was there I spoke with other Jewish woman of the Williamsberg community, I asked them why would a young girl lie about this? Why would she do this? They said for publicity, I said if she wants publicity she can go on American Idol, she can start a blog, their are many things a young girl can do for publicity, but of course they had know idea what I was talking about and said I was crazy and a stray myself.
I said no, I light Shabbos candles the same time you do, I am defrosting my chicken bones for Friday night soup just like you are. And I as much as you want to believe this is not happening but denial enables abuse and as Mothers and Jewish woman we must protect our children.
What if it is true, what grave mistake as a community have you made, why take a stand and raise this kind of money when the truth is something that has not been discovered by evidence in a criminal court of law.
Why would you work so hard for your parnasa and give it to this cause? Why? It say’s a lot about your community and will say even far more when the facts come out if it ends up he is guilty.
In any case we as Mothers must show our children they can talk to us and they will not be ridiculed. This is not the message you or your community is sending to our children who need to feel SAFE communicating with us. She looked at me took her finger spinning it around her ear as to suggest I was crazy.
It was a daunting experience.
I went to the protest to show this child and any other child that we will protect you and we will put an end to this abuse. No matter what race or religion, there are very good and great and unfortunately some very bad people in every circle we walk in. The good people in our circles must take a prevalent stand. We must show our children our support, not raise money for an accused abuser.
May we have joy and happiness to speak of together, Shalom vBracha and Chag Sameach!
SRZ