באקומען אין אי-מעיל:
FWD: Here's a letter I just received from Pearl Engelman
HOW AN ENTIRE COMMUNITY OF SHEEPLE (sheep-people) WERE DECEIVED!
Many of my friends and acquaintances assumed my presence and media outspokenness at the protest against the fundraiser for accused sexual abuser Nechemia Weberman was due to my bitter experience with my Yoely's molestation case. Not exactly wrong but not the whole story either…….
This past Monday, May 14th, I received a call from an unknown woman asking if she could speak with me confidentially. When I assented she said "my daughter was sexually abused by Nechemia Weberman!" I listened in shock as she told me "when my daughter was 15 years old she began to dress differently than our family's dress code and my husband and I were very worried about what this signified. We were advised to take her to Nechemia Weberman, the chassidishe therapist for "troublesome" girls. We trusted Weberman fully, as he was also my husband's good friend. During the 2 something years my daughter was in "therapy" with him she did not tell us what went on during almost every session."
I glanced at the caller ID and realized she was calling from upstate NY. My caller continued - "After my daughter's wedding, one day she told me, Mommy if you would know what Necehmia Weberman did to me you would kill yourself! He showed me sex videos, he made me do-------to him, he did ------to me, and he told me that I should never, ever tell anyone because no one would believe me; I was known as a "troublemaker" and he was a very Choseve (prominent) person, I would have no credibility and would only damage my reputation further! He tried to convince me that no one understood me, cared for me or loved me as he did. For sure my parents did not understand me or love me!'
To say the caller took my breath away is an understatement. Listening to the sorrowful tone of her voice was awful. Then she said "in hindsight I now remember that whenever I called him for a progress report or an update on my daughter a strange thing happened. He would actually instigate me against my daughter! I used to wonder why doesn't he say something like - Don't worry - we are working with her - there is hope for improvement - instead he would say what an "Azas Ponim" she was, how she would burn in Gehenim for her behavior!' I would be so very angry at her and she at me; we were going at each other all the time."
And then my caller told me her name! This family is not "nobody", this is a well known, beautifully functional family! Very frum family! She explained to me that because her husband's livelihood was dependant on the Heimishe public they could not openly expose Weberman - being from the community they knew the backlash would be directed against their daughter and themselves. And because their daughter was happily married they did not want to rock that boat either.
Her story continues: "When the campaign in support of Weberman was started this winter and I saw the signatures of the Rabbonim I couldn't bear it anymore. I myself went to Rabbi Teitelbaum (R' Zalmen Leib's son) and to Rabbi Pollack and told them my story. They were shocked - Oiy, Oiy vie, we didn't know, we were told he was the victim of a bilbel (libel). However, you should know - we are still Yiddishe kinder and for this Weberman doesn't have to sit in jail, we will take care of him and he will never do this again, and do not hinder us from protecting him!!!!!' "
How do we say it? REVICTIMIZING THE VICTIM! In essence they are telling this poor mother - go home, choke your feelings and do not stop us from supporting and helping the man who violated your child! Has there ever been anything as cruel, as pitiless, as UNJEWISH? Is this really us? Don't we stand for the Emes? For Yoisher?
I gently asked her what could I do to help her? Her sorrowful answer: "I don't know". Why did she call me now? Because she feels so terribly sick when she sees the campaign for Weberman's fundraiser.
And so now we come to the protest or rather to the massive PR campaign for Weberman. We Yidden pride ourselves on being Uber Chachomim. No one can pull a fast one on us, no one can sell us the Brooklyn Bridge. So now I have several questions for us.
1- Doesn't it seem strange that UTA, who goes so far as to censor with black magic marker a boy's face in a first grade girl's reader, that they employed a Yungerman as a therapist for wayward teenaged girls in his own office on Classon Ave? Not in the school office, no. A man with absolutely no training, no background in psychology. Who supervised him? Who oversaw his cases? Aren't we very strict with Yichud? Aren't we scrupulously gender separated at all times?
2- Does anyone bother to inquire into the facts of Weberman's arrest? Oh we know that shiksa, that chatzifa, that oisvurf, that terrible Krausz girl, who made a revenge bilbul on an innocent "Mechanech" who was only trying to help her…..
2- Who is really behind the huge campaign to fund Weberman's legal fees? We know it must be his family, but can they alone really pull this off without outside help? Who are the outsiders and why are they interested in helping?
Before we tackle the questions, I'd like to share some of my experiences at the protest. Several men who recognized me asked me angrily "Why are you here?" "Weberman did something to your son?" Two ladies walked by and angrily told me "It's all lies, lies"! Sharon Otterman, the NY Times reporter standing nearby asked them "Can you please tell me why you think Weberman is innocent?" Here's their answer, which is the sum total of what almost everyone asked says: "I know Weberman. He is a wonderful person, very smart, he has a wonderful family, he's helped so many people. Look at the person who is accusing him - she's garbage". This statement of "I know Weberman" flies in the face of the Talmud Aiyn apitrophes L'Aroiyes', and the statement of viciously besmirching the girl is in the same vein as people saying "Look at Reichman and look at Yoely Engelman and whom are you going to believe?".
Several minutes later, I was introduced to a beautiful young woman from Williamsburg. I did not know who she was then (I do now). She said to me shaking her head sadly, "I know Weberman very, very well. I cannot talk, I'm married. I cried all day today - I wish I were standing with you, but I am not able to." And with eyes brimming with tears she looked across the street at the outpouring of support for Nechemia Weberman!
Now back to an analysis of the questions:
Ms Krausz, a student at UTA Bais Rochel School for Girls, was sent to by the school to Weberman for "therapy". Isn't it odd that after so many years of his "therapy" the school needed to expel her? Of course no Chassidishe school wanted to accept her. She landed at a girls school in Flatbush; the name of the school is not relevant. The school provided a guidance counselor for some of its students. Ms Krausz was deemed in need of this service. She spoke about her experiences at Weberman's hands and the guidance counselor, being a mandated reporter called the police. Weberman was arrested. Hello, I'll say it again - Weberman was arrested because the guidance counselor correctly reported him! Do the posters or the articles in the newspapers tell us that? Of course not! We are led to believe the girl was a Moser! That she acted out of revenge to get even with Weberman! Now know this: When an accused molester is arrested the case is owned by the legal system. In other words, Krausz is not the complainant - the government is! The government in this case is the DA. Yes our friend, Charles Hynes, whom the media has shown to be the best ally in the community cover-up of molesters! The DA and his crew will be on Krausz's side! (Oiy Vey!) On Weberman's side will be the best attorneys money can buy thanks to our misguided generous donations for his defense! Besides the family, guess who else is sooooo invested in defending Weberman? UTA of course! Imagine their headaches right now! UTA sent countless girls to Weberman. They must now make sure none of them ever, ever comes out to point fingers at him. Many of the girls are still below the statute of limitations - they are all potential missiles against UTA! Ha, and here we were let to believe the missiles were directed by the Krausz girl against our community! There is one little hope.
Are you starting to feel as if we are living in Sodom? Can the PR people really make us believe that black is white and white is black? We've been called many things - stupid is not one of them!