Were the Nachalaot Parents Negligent?

Chana Jenny Weisberg of JewishMom.Com wrote this guest post in response to comments on this site and elsewhere criticizing the parents affected by the Nachalaot pedophilia tragedy as negligent.  When parents hear that someone else's child has been hurt, often their first response is to blame that … [Read more...]

Nachalaot Pedophilia: Yisrael Hayom Report

Update: An article in Tablet Magazine concludes that there is little evidence of a pedophile ring: Panic in Jerusalem Yisrael Hayom published this article about the children of Nachlaot. The residents of Nachlaot are anxious for it to be translated into English and published, and I have done so … [Read more...]

Court to Rule on "Taliban" (Hyper-Modest) Sect

Haaretz reports this morning about a court case involving two young veiled girls from Beit Shemesh. The article contains many details about the group they belong to, which is known internally as "Lev Tahor" (pure heart). Maybe the press will finally stop calling them Taliban women. The two girls … [Read more...]

New Barrier for Mothers: Don’t Feed Baby on the Bus

Update: See clarification below. The head of Beterem, the Israeli organization for child safety, has issued a warning that will strike fear into any young mother who relies on public transportation:  Breastfeeding while riding on a bus puts your baby in danger. And bottle-feeding will likely to … [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...]

Are Cribs a Safe Place for Babies?

During our discussion on the safety of co-sleeping, I pointed out that cribs carry risks as well. They are constantly being recalled. I'm not saying that putting a baby to sleep in a crib is riskier than co-sleeping. So much depends on the situation. Also, it's hard to gather accurate statistics, … [Read more...]

Is Babywearing Unsafe?

My friend Hadassa Levy, a babywearing consultant, wrote this guest post in light of safety warnings connected to soft baby carriers. Israeli parents and caregivers are concerned and confused about babywearing, after a US consumer advisory warned that wearing your baby in a sling can lead to … [Read more...]

The Safety Class

A number of years ago Emunah, a women’s organization with charitable projects including a chain of daycare centers, offered an 8-session course in child safety to its employees and volunteers. Since I had small children and worked with new mothers, I decided to try it out. Like many programs in … [Read more...]

Face-Covering Mother of Twelve Convicted of Child Abuse

The trial of Bruria Keren, the face-covering mother of 12 who started a movement encouraging hyper-tzniut (extreme modesty), has been convicted of abusing six of her twelve children. Keren attracted the attention of the press in December 2007 because she covered her face, wore multiple layers of … [Read more...]

Rabbi Metzger: Child Abuse Not a Charedi Phenomenon

On Thursday morning, Rabbi Yona Metzger, the Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel, was interviewed on Reshet Bet (Channel Two--a government channel) for the program Inyan Acher (another matter).As of now it is available on the IBA website. If someone knows how to link directly I would appreciate it.The … [Read more...]