Dear Benny

Thanks for taking the time to write this http://bennypolatseck.blogspot.com/2013/12/a-response-to-no-response_12.html in response to my post of last night.

In it, you question the logic of my "non-response" to your question of, "how can you ignore the pain of Weberman's innocent family members"?

The answer is that I was, in Jewish fashion, answering that question with the question of: How can you only consider the pain of his family members (which he caused) and ignore the pain of his countless victims and their family members? Many of those families also have darkness in their homes on Chanukah and every other night of the year.

That said, your point that (most of the) advocacy for his victims, abuse survivors overall, efforts to raise awareness and educate today's children in child safety to avoid the horror of abuse and molestation in the future can all be made without mentioning Nechemia Weberman's name and bringing more pain to his family is fair and correct and as such I accept your tochacha (rebuke) with respect and humility.

Last night, I was reminded of a phone call that I got years ago from a relative of Avrohom Mondrowitz during the time when I wrote columns advocating for his extradition to America so he can be brought to trial for his monstrous crimes. She said that she fully understands my efforts to support his victims, but asked that, "every time you sit down to write a column on this, just remember that he has many decent family members who are suffering horribly." I continued to write about that matter and even wrote an open-letter op-Ed In the Jerusalem Post asking the judge to extradite him after that conversation, but I did think about her sobering words often, as I will yours.

Benny; just understand that regardless of what I as an individual do or don't do regarding this case, the Weberman case will never really be "closed" until your community leaders take the advice of Steve Jobs that you noted -- to stop changing the subject, but rather apologize to his victims, offer clinical and emotional support to them and start educating today's parents and kids.

Those of us who advocate for and are trusted by abuse victims in heimishe kehilos don't sit on comfortable leather chairs. It is very difficult for us to have the bandwidth to think of the family members of the pedophiles as we perpetually sit on the low stools of mourners day after day, night after night, listening to the silent and silenced heartbreaking screams of their abuse victims.

Respectfully

Yakov

Reply · Report Post