Sexual Abuse, Shonda and Concealment in Orthodox Jewish Communities

Sexual Abuse, Shonda and Concealment in Orthodox Jewish Communities

by Michael Lesher
Sexual Abuse, Shonda and Concealment in Orthodox Jewish Communities

Sexual Abuse, Shonda and Concealment in Orthodox Jewish Communities

by Michael Lesher

Paperback

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Overview

This book--the first of its kind--analyzes how and why cases of child sexual abuse have been systematically concealed in Orthodox Jewish communities. The book examines many such cover-ups in detail, showing how denial, backlash against victims, and the manipulation of the secular justice system have placed Orthodox Jewish community leaders in the position of defending or even enabling child abusers.

The book also examines the generally disappointing treatment of this issue in popular media, while dissecting the institutions that contribute to the cover-ups, including two--rabbinic courts and local Orthodox "patrols"--that are more or less unique to Orthodox Jewish communities.

Finally, the book explores the cultural factors that have contributed to this tragedy, and concludes with hopes and proposals for future reform.


Product Details

ISBN-13: 9780786471256
Publisher: McFarland & Company, Incorporated Publishers
Publication date: 07/23/2014
Pages: 296
Product dimensions: 5.70(w) x 8.90(h) x 0.70(d)
Age Range: 18 Years

About the Author

Michael Lesher, a writer and a lawyer, has published a number of articles about child abuse and is co-author of a book on the American family court system’s poor record of protecting children. An Orthodox Jew, he has also published short fiction and poetry and lives in Passaic, New Jersey.

Table of Contents

Foreword Dane S. Claussen 1

Introduction 5

Part I Coverage and Cover-Ups 15

1 Some You (May) Know About 16

2 The Ones That Got Away 33

3 Child Sex Abuse as News 53

4 Backlash Strategies, Past and Present 73

Part II Who Guards the Guardians? 93

5 Abuse of Power, Orthodox Style 94

6 Truth and Consequences 110

7 Courting Disaster: How Rabbinic Courts Can Control a Sex Abuse Case 129

8 Self-Policing or Thought-Policing? 148

Part III The Culture of Denial 169

9 A History of Silence 170

10 The Politics of Piety 188

11 East of Eden: "Innocence," Sex and Sex Abuse 207

12 Out of the Closet 227

Chapter Notes 243

Selected Bibliography 279

Index 281

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