Shame on You, My Friend

Rabbi Daniel Eidensohn, Daat Torah

[This was originally posted as a comment on R.Daniel Eidensohn's Daat Torah blog posting, "Seminary Scandal: A Rambling and Misleading Slander by David Morris",  in response to my article "Meisels Victims"] 

Dear Rabbi Eidensohn,

I read your response to my post of Friday [8/22/14] with… profound sadness that a distinguished person who has done so much to make the world a safer place for children and all types of abuse victims, should forget all he learned, and all he wrote, and all we learned from him.

Many people who have had great respect for you have watched in the last two months as you have chosen to wage a truly bizarre campaign with only one obvious goal – participating in the minimizing, whitewash and cover-up of a painful scandal.

There is no need to rehash all the charges and counter-charges. Suffice it to say you have chosen to minimize, distract and obfuscate about an abuser and those who enabled him – you have put the wherewithal of the institutions and of three rabbonim, above the safety of the students.

I need to have no details beyond what was made public in statements by a reputable BD [Beis Din, i.e., rabbinic court]. The perpetrator engaged in conduct which included unwanted contact of a sexual nature. That is all that was said. No other details were released to the public, including, despite your requests, to your blog.

The BD also indicated that the activity in question should have warranted action by Senior faculty members,and some “failed in their responsibility to their students.” That is all I need to know.

Every one in the field considers these statements by the CBD [Chicago Beis Din] a courageous act.

Yet you have decided to orchestrate a classical "attack the victim,” “protect the institution,” “circle the wagons and shoot at anything that moves” scheme using all the time-honored techniques. Alleging they claimed Meisels had raped 40 people. I did not see that. Alleging there were no Victims. That cannot be true. Alleging none of this can be serious because the Victims have not gone to the police. As if all Charedi [ultra-orthodox Jewish] victims who live overseas normally travel to Israel to report to the police.

In short you are orchestrating a tired old scheme. You detail these schemes in the pages of your own book. These schemes, it must be said, have worked in the past. They may even work now. Yet you have decided to orchestrate a classical ‘attack the victim,” “protect the institution,” “circle the wagons and shoot at anything that moves” scheme using all the time-honored techniques. Alleging they claimed Meisels had raped 40 people. I did not see that. Alleging there were no Victims. That cannot be true. Alleging none of this can be serious because the Victims have not gone to the police. As if all Charedi [ultra-orthodox Jewish] victims who live overseas normally travel to Israel to report to the police.

Shame on you, my friend, for participating in the undoing of your lifetime’s work.