Hiding behind Religion

B"H

There is no perfect society whatsoever in this world. If you get to know a different way of life, first you might be excited and overwhelmed; after a closer look, however, you also might get disappointed or just wake up. Welcome to reality !!!
Nothing is as perfect as it seems to be. I admit that there are ways of life which are better or, at least, more positive. Nevertheless, every society has its failures, mistakes and lacks such as child abuse, drugs, rape, theft, betrayal, etc. Haredi society is not excluded from these kind of problems.

A few years ago, I spoke to a haredi neighbour and she claimed that there is nothing bad in haredi society because everyone is haredi and so terribly religious and G – dfearing. Every negative aspect is just an invention by the secular press. A few weeks ago, an acquaintance of mine from Mea Shearim denied any society problems within her chassidic group. "Yes, of course, there are all kinds of problems but not in my group. Everyone studies Torah and is too busy for criminal activities".

These days, Israeli papers report about the self – appointed Rabbi Elior Chen who escaped to Brazil. The Israeli police were searching for him all over the world. Elior Chen is accused of child abuse in very severe cases. Now the police in Brazil arrested him and he is in jail. The papers claimed that the Neturei Karta hid him because Chen claimed that the "Zionist" police were after him but he was innocent. If the Neturei Karta was really hiding Elior Chen is now in doubt, as Chen presents different versions of his story. Fact is that he abused countless Israeli children or told their mothers to torture the kids, as they are obsessed by evil spirits.

Those Haredim I know say that the families and the so – called Rabbi Chen are people who became religious later on in their lives (Baalei Teshuva). And, ahmmm, they are sephardi Jews who want to be Breslov or think that they are Breslov but they are not. So, what do you expect from such people ?

More and more Jewish religious websites report about such cases. There are chassidic or litvishe Rabbis abusing children and how does haredi society react ? Well, the websites don't come to such a great positive conclusion. In case the child is getting molested by a Rabbi, so, who believes the child making such a claim ?
And, as we know haredi society, everything "strange" is considered a blemish. In many cases , the police are not informed just in order to avoid a public scandal. But what about the abused child ? If the public knows, other children might look down on the child and constantly pick on him. And who later wants a Shidduch with someone raped ? Therefore, many Haredim don't involve the authorities.

But times are changing a bit and finally there are some haredi parents calling the police. However, their number is still pretty low and the vast majority prefers to keep quiet. Especially closed chassidic societies, as the "Zionist" police are seen as an enemy and thus an intruder. The group members rather go to the Rebbe and ask for advice. As usual, children, raped women or drug addicts suffer most because they are simply left alone. There are social workers within haredi society but not enough. And who wants a social worker from the municipality coming to his neighbourhood let alone to his house ? What are the neighbours going to say ?

In order to understand the haredi reaction, you have to understand haredi society. Orthodox Jews react in very different ways; especially in order to protect their reputation. There is nothing worse than loosing one's reputation and becoming an outlaw. Therefore haredi society always tries to calm down everyone and thus avoid scandals published by the secular press.

Whoever is looking for haredi or even national religious insider news should either be part or have good friends within society. An outsider would never get certain information and sometimes even I have to ask haredi friends to call up others and get the required information. Haredi or religious society as a whole wants to protect its own society. Unfortunately, an individual is sometimes seen as less important when there is a greater priority: the continuation and the well – being of the group.

The main question is if I am entitled to do anything as soon as I am a member of haredi (or extreme haredi) society ? Am I allowed to break the law and then run to anti – Zionist rabbis keep me in hiding ? Can I justify anything when I wear religious clothes and pray three times a day ? As soon as another scandal is being published I feel ashamed and at the same time I am upset because some lunatics destroy the reputation of a whole society. And this Rabbi Chen has destroyed a lot. For me he is neither religious, haredi nor a rabbi but only a criminal without any intellect and brains.