OPEN LETTER: "An open letter to a community in pain," by Menachem Kaiser, published by Tablet Magazine on April 17, 2015.
SUB-HEADING:
"The Jerusalem neighborhood of Sanhedria Murchevet is beset by
fears of a pedophile ring. Here’s what they need to consider."
SUB-HEADING: "Panic in Jerusalem."
SUB-HEADING: "Parents in a tight-knit neighborhood believe a pedophile ring is terrorizing children. What if it doesn’t exist?"
GIST
: "In the last few weeks, I have received a startling number of
calls and emails regarding an ongoing crisis in Sanhedria Murchevet, a
neighborhood in north Jerusalem where many—including some prominent
rabbis and communal leaders—believe that an organized ring of criminals
have been abusing, raping, and torturing Jewish children and have been
doing so for a number of years. There is also widespread belief that the
abuse is at least partially religiously motivated—that operating in the
community’s midst is a cult, a ring of men and women who are subjecting
the children to ritual torture. Many of the people who have contacted me, however, did so because
they believe that this is, at least to some degree, a case of mass
hysteria; that a significant percentage (or even all) of the
allegations, especially the most fantastic, may be unfounded; that
innocent people may have been or will be accused; that an untold number
of lives are being ruined; and that cases of actual molestation and/or
abuse could potentially be obfuscated. What is indisputable is that the community is in the grips of a
devastating panic. ........ I am here because I feel a responsibility to share some of what I learned when I spent more than a year investigating and reporting
a similar and related case in a nearby Jerusalem neighborhood in 2012. I
want to emphasize, from the outset, that I am not here to report the
case; I am not here in any journalistic capacity. I have not conducted
interviews. I have not done any significant reporting. I cannot make any
firm claims about what is or is not going on in Sanhedria
Murchevet—whether this is, in fact, a case of mass hysteria, on whether
or not any of the allegations are founded. But regardless of whether this is or is not a case of mass hysteria,
those in the community (and beyond) must not ignore the lessons learned
in past similar cases. The stakes cannot be higher. People died in the
wake of what happened in Nachlaot. An 80-year-old woman was beaten with a
crowbar and hospitalized, because she was believed to be a key member
of a Christian missionary cult behind the abduction, torture, and rape
of Jewish children. Many lives were destroyed. Children underwent
corrective therapy for traumatic events that almost certainly did not
happen—therapy that thereby created and reinforced that trauma. All
these were needless tragedies born, ultimately, of misinformation. Before all else, it is critical to understand that hysteria is a very
real and extremely well-documented phenomenon. In literally thousands
of cases, hundreds or sometimes even thousands of children have reported
abuse that did not happen. These cases have occurred in nearly
every single industrialized country, and from the mid-1980s to the
mid-’90s was a veritable mania in the United States. Not once have any
of the reports been substantiated.........When I began my investigation of the case in Nachlaot, I had no
reason to doubt anything. I was horrified at the existence of this
enormous pedophile ring, at the scope of the crime. But when I returned
to New York and started to research, I began to speak with people who
have seen thousands of similar cases, who have worked with the FBI for
more than 25 years. And my perspective changed. It was an enormously
trying experience, having my entire world inverted, going back to
Israel, re-interviewing everyone. But the case in Nachlaot displayed
every single characteristic of mass hysteria. For months, I pressed the
people spearheading the efforts very hard for evidence I could use, for
evidence that what the children were claiming really happened. But there
was none. I was forced to accept what is still one of the hardest lessons of
that story: Children in cases like this are not reliable witnesses, no
matter how difficult it is to understand why a child would say something
not true, no matter how difficult it is to come to terms with how the
child might have otherwise learned of such things.........Much of what I am saying here will, I know, be dismissed by
decision-makers in the community. But it is important to understand that
I am not pushing a theory as to what happened—I am pleading for the
community to take a more careful approach, for a sober and historically
aware examination of what’s being presented as evidence, and for an
honest and rational questioning of whether that evidence indicates the
existence of a conspiracy, a cult, or any kind of organized effort. If what is being alleged in Sanhedria Murchevet is true, if even a
fraction of it is true, this would not only be unprecedented, it would
be, by several magnitudes of order, the biggest conspiracy/crime in
history. That this many people are involved, and for this long, and no
admission, no adult witnesses, no film, and no website has emerged
(despite extensive efforts) is cause for skepticism. And if these holes
are explained by a growing conspiracy—involving the church, corrupt
police, etc.—we should be on guard. There will be answers to any
questions raised—computer experts, international syndicates,
decades-long church conspiracies to rape and inculcate Jewish children.
But when a conspiracy adapts, if any skepticism is countered by an
ever-reaching plot, it is, again, cause for skepticism. Allegations in
many past cases of mass hysteria involved comparably incredible
conspiracies; the fantastical elements only reinforced the overwhelming
unlikelihood of the existence of a cult.
The entire open letter can be found at:
http://tabletmag.com/jewish-news-and-politics/190311/open-letter-community-in-pain?utm_source=tabletmagazinelist&utm_campaign=dbf823b02e-Friday_April_17_20154_17_2015&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_c308bf8edb-dbf823b02e-207183181
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
I
have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses
several thousand posts. The search box is located near the bottom of
the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this
powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and
myself get more out of the site.
The
Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible
years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr.
Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of
Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic"
section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It
can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
I look forward to hearing from readers at:
hlevy15@gmail.com.
Harold Levy; Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;
