B"HThere is no other subject for the secular press but reporting about the Mea Shearim mother arrested because of child abuse. All papers and the state - owned radio channel "Kol Israel - Reshet Beit" are jumping on it, as if there is nothing else in this world.
I don't know if the accusations are true or not !
Fact is that the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital claims to have made videos showing the mother abusing her 3 - year - old son at the hospital.
This is the reason why the haredi woman got arrested last week. There are reports saying that she can leave jail before Shabbat this week, but has to undergo psychological treatment provided by social workers. Furthermore, she is pregnant again (5th months).
Her husband was asked to take the other children to the state - owned social service so that the authorities can question the children. However, the father did not show up at the social service and, instead, is hiding the children. The Edah HaCharedit states that the children are with another family because there is a danger that they are getting brainwashed by the social workers and thus accuse their mother in vain.
Lets say the mother did starve her son who only weights 7 kilos.
Why did the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital not alarm the authorities much early ? One of the doctors claimed that he already suspected child abuse a year ago.
Why was this not reported ? Because no one cared ? Where was the hospital ?
But if the video exists and it shows the mother "in action", then Mea Shearim and haredi society as a whole has to ask itself how such matters can be solved. Not only going to a rabbi, ask for advice and eventually keep quiet. This is not a solution for a child ! In this case, the mother and her child apparently need help.
Yesterday afternoon, many Haredim (Edah members) were blocking Bar Ilan Street (Jerusalem). The demonstrations went on until after midnight. Garbage was burnt and Mayor Nir Barkat announced that, for the time being, there are NO social services in Mea Shearim at all. The background is that Edah members tried to storm (or burn) the local social service office. However, closing all social services for Mea Shearim is just insane because there are many Haredim not connected to the demonstrations. All of them have to suffer now ? Why doesn't the mayor suggest another social service office in a nearby neighbourhood ?
The demonstration are continuing and Jerusalem's Neturei Karta head Yoelish Kroisz announced that Mea Shearim won't give in until the mother is freed.
What people don't understand is that it is not only an issue of this particular woman. Haredi society sees a danger for itself, as social workers can come and take away children.
Today, the secular left - wing paper YEDIOT ACHARONOT put a picture of the 3 - year - old on its front page today. According to my opinion, the photo is a complete fake ! Photoshopped ! Furthermore, the child has no Kipa and no Pejes (sidecurls). How can that be ?
YEDIOT also publishes a pictures of the Toldot Aharon woman showing her at the court yesterday. This pictures is a fake as well ! First of all, the woman on the pictures does NOT wear Toldot Aharon clothes and additionally some hair can be seen under her headcover.
Does YEDIOT think its readers are stupid ?
Obviously, as most people don't know details about haredi society.
Yesterday's demonstration in Bar Ilan Street
All pictures can be viewed here:
http://bhol.co.il/news_read.asp?id=10813&cat_id=2
Details: JERUSALEM POST
this is very one sided. if you read the press of the chqradim you will understand that te women was arrested and placed with crimnils in jail instead of being taken for treatment, furthere more, the familt kept quiet as they were promised she would be released, however the police rengraded on thier promise. Franko said, that he doesnt understand why she was arrested!!!
ReplyDeleteB"H
ReplyDeleteI don't know where you got this from but to me. I never heard Franko questioning her arrest. However, she is going to be realeased today ot tomorrow before Shabbat and has to undergo psychological treatment.
There seems to be some confusion as to what sect the women is a part of. Some say Toldos Aharon, some say Neturei Karta. I think people just want to point out that she's from the "frumest of the frum."
ReplyDeleteIt's important that social services stepped in to save this boy's life. Does Bir Barkat propose removing social services from Palestinian neighborhoods when Palestinians offend the government, burn things down and kill other citizens?
B"H
ReplyDeleteI chose the Toldot Aharon group, as a Chassid from Mea Shearim (not a member of the Edah though) told me that the woman would be Toldot Aharon !
However, it may be possible that she is Neturei Karta, as Yoelish Kroisz is involved in the demonstrations.
However, many other Chassidim just go to the Neturei Karta or the Mishkenot HaRoim but are still members of their actual group.
So, you name it.:-)
YEDIOT reports that the social office itself is upset about the police reactions because now the Haredim don't trust into the social services anymore. And it already takes a long time building up such trust. Now the trust is gone !
Barkat closed the office because he wants to save the lives of the employees, as some Haredim may storm the building. That's his official reason for shutting down everything.
Good point with the Palestinians !
I don't have TV, but my friend said she saw the child and that it looks like a picture from Auschwitz. They said the woman was Neture Carta. I think the point everyone is missing is that a small child seemed to be wasting away under the mothers care, but is thriving when the mother is removed. First save the child, then deal with the mother.
ReplyDeleteB"H
ReplyDeleteIt does look like an Auschwitz picture. However, it looks somehow not real.
Here are the latest news from the boy:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1246443820214&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
I worked in the court system and know that Doctors in most western countries hesitate to report child abuse as it is so sensitive and a mistake can cause extreme damage to many. Also they may only see the child of 3 a few times over a long period of time. Sometimes, if the mother appears to care the idea of abuse does not even enter into it. I should also note, that in cases like this in many countries the police would go direct to the house, round up all of the children and remove them. That the Israeli police "asked" the father to bring the children in is very lenient in this case. By the way, "Münchausen syndrome by proxy" is closer to what they are saying the woman suffers from and it is common for the remaining children to be thriving. This is such a complicated matter, it is too bad that the community and the authorities are so far apart that they will not sit down to try and find a solution For the Child! Whatever the facts turn out to be we should remember, that it is reported that since the mother has been removed the child is thriving.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1100304.html
ReplyDelete"The mother's attorney, Reuven Bar-Haim, told the court the welfare authorities had opposed the police decision to arrest his client, and that at a previous hearing it was decided she could visit the child under supervision.
The investigation has been impeded by family members' refusal to answer questions, and witnesses have reportedly been threatened by the woman's relatives. Police say the media reports will deter other witnesses from coming forward."
according to the violences that take place now, this seems very credible to me. So here you have the reason why she was arrested...
B"H
ReplyDeleteIt must have been extremely hard for the social service building up some trust to the Toldot Aharon and everything seems gone now.
I don't see any way for the authorities finding any witnesses, as the TA community is so closed. No one is going to talk.
And to be honest, I even fear that the woman may no accept the treatment !
What I find so depressing ist the line of argumentation of the pro-violence side.
ReplyDeleteThey do not know what is true. But "they know the mother, from a chusheve family, so nice with the other children and so frum" therefore it has to be that she is innocent. Furthermore, the hospital staff is "not frum" so it has to be that they lye, that they falsify videos, that they make things up just to bring this poor woman to jail.
They hurl "lashon hara" at anyone who believes the accusations are true, but, without ado, accuse hospital staff of making things up. Is this not lashon hara?
Not to speak of the violence, which befits thugs, but not jews who claim to be religious...
B"H
ReplyDeleteWhoever wants to understand the violent protest and the Toldot Aharon reaction, has to understand the group itself. The group and its rules (Takanot).
They don't want any outsider knowing what is going on. No state - controller no nothing. They only make friends among themselves and are totally bound to the group.
However, I suppose that the women within the group new and are talking about it. On the other side, the groups leadership would not admit difficult "cases" like that woman. And the Rebbe is abroad on vacation.
With this example I am studying the transmission of information within those groups.
ReplyDeleteWhat is especially interesting is to look at what is believed and what is not believed and for what reasons. The comments on the various frum blogs (vosizneias, bechadarei hachareidim, yeshiva world news) give an interesting insight in the logic of those persons. It is not rational at all, but rather bi-polar: the bad world outside of our community and the good, but persecuted members of our community.
The same patterns applied when a child was killed before pessach 2006, they all shouted "alilat dam", as they do now.
To be short: I would not like to live in a state where people with this kind of logic are in power. There would be pure denial of justice, all the contrary of what the torah mandates.
http://www.vosizneias.com/35114/2009/07/16/meah-shearim-neighbor-of-alleged-child-abuser-mom-not-mentally-ill/
ReplyDeletecomment 45
"As a chareidi who lives here in Yerushalayim, all I can say is I am sick and tired of all of their antics! I don't believe a word of this "rebbetzin"- I don't know who she is- I have no reason to believe her. Munchausen syndrome is known to be one that even the closest family members may not be able to detect, so who is a neighbor to tell me whether the woman is sick or not? Hadassah is an extremely reputable hospital,and I speak from my own experiences there, as well. If they say the child never had any malignancy and never received chemotherapy, who is this rebbetzin to dispute it? Does she have a medical degree? Does she know what medications are chemical and which aren't? I have first-hand experience with chemo and I still can't tell you which are and which aren't- except for the specific ones I've dealt with. It is absolutely absurb to say that such an institution and its fine doctors would start a "libel" against this family (as the father has stated in an interview). And I heard what the mainstream media says- on my way to work this morning (2 hours late due to all streets being closed and no public transportation as a result of burning garbage bins- here in the "black belt" of the city) - the reporter said he spoke with chareidim at the scene of the protests, who told him that the majority of chareidim are just as fed up with what is going on here as the seculars. It's a much smaller group of hooligans that are giving us all a bad name. Secular media- for all of us to hear. Chareidim are FED UP. We're fed up with the bad name they're giving us, fed up with the stench of burning garbage and melting plastic, fed up with traffic jams and lack of transportation, fed up with the same old juvenile cries "they're out to get chareidim", and fed up with the thought of the millions of shekels gone to waste on destroyed public property, deployment of police, loss of business to all the local stores, and loss of work in general to all those who could not get to their places of employment thanks to their shenanigans. What a horrible chilul Hashem. What inconsideration of their own "fellow" chareidim and the general public. Ad mosai??? I'm ashamed to say that my only consolation is that there will be a din v'cheshbon for every one of their actions.
I heard the loudspeakers the other nite- "the rabbanim are ordering everybody to GO HOME!" So under whose authority were these protests taking place exactly??"
B"H
ReplyDeleteIt is impossible to study a group only from Internet articles or comments. One has to speak to the members, know their environment and the whole mentality. The Toldot Aharon and others are not an Internet study subject but they are people.
People with personalities and you cannot just decide how they live, feel and how their group structure works when you read things on the Internet.
I don't give much about the comments, as the absolute majority doesn't even know the Toldot Aharon but only draw conclusions. Furthermore, you never know where these comments are coming from and what people's intention is.
Yes, I know, you use them as real-life study subjects. I have been following your blog for long enough to be aware of this...
ReplyDeleteIn this particular occurence, I have the impression that you are about to get sucked up by their twisted logic.
B"H
ReplyDeleteI dare to say about myself that I am able to see logic and wishful thinking. And those reading my blog know that I am also spending time with criticism. Some even call it "Lashon HaRah".
In the meantime, there are so many speculations around and I think it is a good idea, as the site "Chadrei HaCharedim" suggests, to appoint an external committee investigating all the facts and backgrounds.
I haven't read the rest of the comments yet, but the fact is Miriam that you are being brainwashed by these animals. Last week you wrote about being called a "nazi" and "goy" but you still don't see the animalistic nature that has overtaken these people. This must be reported widely because what is happening is very serious. The Charedei community has completely lost its mind! I'm orthodox myself and I am so ashamed that these are my people!
ReplyDeleteB"H
ReplyDeleteI am not brainwashed and I am serious about the case.
I don't know if you live in Israel but in case you do, you should know the hatred the secular press developed against anything coming from Mea Shearim. The moment there is something negative to report, Israeli press jumps on it as fast as it can. Beyond the actual case, many rumours are spread and the rest of Israeli society gets its stereotype opinion about the Mea Shearim society.
I've heard radio reports lately where a stupid female journalist reported as excited as if there had been a bus explosion. Not even knowing the difference between the Toldot Aharon, the Neturei Karta and the Edah HaCharedit. Facts are being blown away and the only thing is spreading more hatred against haredi society.
This, however, doesn't mean that there is no abuse and further society problems.