An article by Samuel Newhouse of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle discusses Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes' hotline for sexually abused individuals in the Jewish community. This hotline, called "Kol Tzedek," which means "Voice of Justice," is designed to help sexually abused individuals within the Jewish faith.
According to the article, sex offenses within the Hasidic and Orthodox communities have been difficult to detect and prosecute, due to the propensity for these and other religious organizations to attempt to handle these cases within their own boundaries. Newhouse's article also claims that rabbis and other religious leaders have pressured survivors of sex abuse to avoid going to law enforcement or other sources outside of the community.
Unfortunately, deterring abused individuals from going to secular groups for help does not seem to be solving the problem. In fact, the Brooklyn DA's office says that 13 felony and 6 misdemeanor sex crimes in the Orthodox Jewish community are under investigation.
This hotline is designed to help survivors of rabbi sexual abuse and other sex crimes in the Jewish community. The prosecutors and social workers involved with the hotline are partnered with Jewish organizations. They hope that working with these Jewish community organizations will help make an impact on the current sexual abuse problems.
Despite the fact that Catholic Church clergy abuse has received a large amount of media and public attention, the fact is that this problems exists in many different groups, both religious and secular.
If you or a loved one has been sexually abused by a rabbi or other member of the Jewish community, please contact an attorney at the Zalkin Law Firm. They can provide you with the legal assistance that you need.
