Rabbi Shmuel Tal Maintains Cultish Hold on Yad Binyamin

Rabbi Shmuel Tal Rabbi Shmuel Tal, whose yeshiva was originally located in Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip, attempted to form a "pure" community in the new Israeli town of Yad Binyamin. But then Rabbi Tal tried to convince at least one married woman to leave her husband, claiming that she and Tal … [Read more...]

Update: Offer Rescinded. Indicted Sex-Offender Ezra Sheinberg Awaiting Trial; May Move to Kibbutz Hafetz Hayim

Update: Rabbi Horowitz rescinded the offer. Public pressure works. Often, it is the only thing that works. The only question remains, will parents be willing to keep their daughters in the school under Horowitz's management, or will they demand that he be fired, as some parents have … [Read more...]

Interview with Yeshiva University President Richard Joel

After the event on Modern Orthodox education sponsored by YU in Israel, I was able to interview President Joel. The interview appeared in the Jerusalem Post's "In Jerusalem" supplement on February 2, 2016 and is reprinted with permission. After the panel, In Jerusalem spoke with president Richard … [Read more...]

Tahel Conference to Fight Abuse in the Religious Community

Hardly a day goes by without hearing of another case of domestic violence, get refusal, or child sex abuse in the Jewish community. We are all against it, and appalled by what is happening. But is there anything we can do? Debbie Gross, director of the Tahel Crisis Center for Religious Women and … [Read more...]

Uncovering Gay “Conversion Therapy”

Psychologist Dr. Norman Goldwasser is a controversial figure. Some laud him for innovative treatments of trauma patients. But he has also been criticized for endorsing "conversion "or "reparative" therapy" to lessen or eliminate homosexual tendencies. This type of therapy has been thoroughly … [Read more...]

Rabbi Defends Not Reporting Sex Abuse

Last week, Yehuda Shohat and Ariela Sternbuch published a story in Yediot Aharonot about the advice that rabbis give regarding sexual molestation and abuse. Sternbuch called up 27 rabbis and community leaders with a story of how she or her child was sexually abused. In only a few of the cases did … [Read more...]

Sex Offender Elon at Event with City Chief Rabbi, Children

On my way to my daughter's elementary school to pick up schoolbooks for next year, I spotted this flyer. It seemed fresh, although the event was scheduled for several weeks ago. Here is a translation: On Tuesday, July 8, 2014, Rabbi Mordechai Elon will give a talk and G-d-willing merit all of us, … [Read more...]

Why Do People Still Believe Moti Elon is Innocent?

In 2010, well-known religious Zionist rabbi Mordechai (Moti) Elon was accused by the religious forum Takana of forcible sexual acts on young men who approached him for counseling. Last December, Elon was convicted and sentenced to six months of community service. It's hard to imagine the shock … [Read more...]

Police: Evidence Supports Abuse Trial for Elon

Some of the controversy surrounding Takana's warning against Rabbi Moti Elon revolved around whether he broke the law or not, since the students were said to be over eighteen. Now the Jerusalem Post reports that the police have found evidence to support prosecuting Rabbi Mordechai (Moti) Elon and … [Read more...]

The Rabbi Moti Elon Scandal: What Can We Learn?

The religious-Zionist community is still in shock about Rabbi Moti Elon, the yeshiva head accused of molesting young men who approached him for advice. In synagogue yesterday morning, our rabbi drew some conclusions about how we could prevent similar incidents in the future. According to … [Read more...]