Dear Parents,
As camp directors, our goal is to ensure that your child has a safe, fun, exciting and memorable summer. As parents, you have entrusted your children into our care for a few weeks, assigning their safety to us. Thus, we have an obligation to protect them from any harm and we are responsible to ensure that no one physically, spiritually, or mentally harms your child.
Several weeks ago, we were asked to join Project E.M.E.S. (Educating Mosdos on Eradicating S. Abuse), a program endorsed by professionals and designed to ensure appropriate child abuse policies that are put in place in frum overnight camps.
Upon review of this project which began last year, it is evident that it was comprehensive and appropriate. Seeing that it can only assist us in our summer camp goals, we sent them a list of our potential staff members for review and to obtain the agreement for all of our future staff to sign.
Within 48 hours of providing our staff list, we were contacted by JCW and notified that a potential member of our staff was a confirmed child molester and that he had multiple victims.
We were shocked, to say the least. That potential staff member will obviously not be coming to our camp. As a result, we are enhancing our no-tolerance policy and requiring every staff member to sign the Project EMES agreement.
This letter’s purpose is to ask and beg parents to be extremely vigilant. Unfortunately, no community is immune to the issues of child abuse and therefore, it is our duty as the directors of Pioneers Camp to ensure the safety of all of our campers.
We urge every parent to review this project and make sure, if you have kids going to other summer camps or programs, that they have these policies in place. Do not just listen to the words of the director that they give a seminar discussing child abuse, because such seminars are often insufficient.
Demand that each camp have a written CSA no-tolerance policy in place. Demand that every staff member be required to sign such an agreement. Demand that staff-lists are forwarded to appropriate organizations for review and background checks.
As a parent you too have a duty to protect your children at all costs as do we. You too have to do your due diligence. Do not take no for an answer if another camp refuses to provide staff lists.
Thank you to Jewish Community Watch for your tireless effort on protecting our children and helping us make sure our camp is a safer place. I hope other camps will follow suit.
Best,
Binyamin Murray and Michoel Nagel
Directors of Pioneers Camp in Vermont
Those who think only a police check is enough are ridiculous. Having been involved with helping abused teens, I came across a few, not many, but enough to know there is a problem, who told me they had abused others (they were the abusers not just the abused). Since I was not the parent of the children they had abused kid (and one gave me names of who she had abused), I could not report the issue (I did insist the abuser call the parents of her victims to alert them to what she had done so that those kids… Read more »
Thank you Binyamin Murray and Michoel Nagel for having the courage to participate in Project Emes to protect our children, not only for joining but for writing this letter publicly. We hear from so many head shakers regarding JCW, it can be confusing. But when we hear stories like this it’s a relief to know they are helping watch out for our kids. Thanks JCW! You deserve my next maaser donation!
It is ourtrageous that so many posters are actually vehement ly against EMES. Why the suspicion, why the fear, you certainly have no children. busha cherpa shonda
raises some questions that should be answered.
All those that protect my children from these evil monsters deserve my kovod and respect.
I would do ANYTHING to protect my children. It amazes me that something so simple as adopting project EMES would even be contemplated. You would rather your children be abused?
those that despise this letter, goal and open dialogue are simply molesters themselves or family trying to protect them
Nothing more nothing less – these comments amaze me!
Thanks for reporting this COL!
Police checks are good? Who are you kidding with? Since when is a Bocher going to come up on a police record?
The belzer rebbe once called a chossid in and told him “I heard bad news about you, I heard that you did xy and z…” The chossid replied, “but rebbe it’s not true! I didn’t do that!” The rebbe replied. “You think I don’t know it’s not true?! You think I don’t know you didn’t do it?! Of course I know you didn’t do it. But the fact that these rumors could be fabricated against you, already shows me that you need to be improving on something.” All actions must be taken to ensure that as a counselor or teacher… Read more »
FYI, here is the list of people that endorsed Project EMES: (Educating Mosdos on Eradicating S abuse) Press Release: JCW Launches Project E.M.E.S. This program has been established in order to provide the public a direct source for information regarding every Chabad overnight camp’s abuse policy. Project E.M.E.S. has been reviewed and sanctioned by: The Rabbonim of Crown Heights The Crown Heights Community Council Rabbi Yossi Paltiel Rabbi Abba Paltiel Rabbi YY Jacobson Rabbi Elchonon Tauber Rabbi Levi Kaplan Rabbi Yosef Blau, MS Rabbi Avraham Zajac Rabbi Yoseph Geisinsky Mr. Benny Forer, Esq. Dr. Chaim Drizin, MA, LMFT Dr. Norman… Read more »
Is it likely fully referencing your candidates, would have weeded out this fellow just as well.
Your papers please!
Yes, before long every everything will need approval from a source outside ourselves. That’s why we have a government. To protect us.
Your papers please!
Sorry camp pioneers but who sas camp emes is an authority!
They r no authority no one has backed them up.
police checks that’s good!! But emes has no right to expect camps to look at them at any high regard!
Continued hatzlacha v’brochos, BH!
Let me ask you a question mister #1 personality… If you hear a one off rumor that a guy COULD… (key word could) be a murderer would you want him around you or any of your family members? Background check????? They are worthless. We dont believe anyone is harmful… why should we? Oh he needs to get arrested? only to them say naa! let him have his day in court he is innocent until proven guilty. Oh he took a guilty plea, eh naa means nothing in this world we live in no one will ever believe they guy so… Read more »
Yes, molesters do go to camp again even after they molested before. How come no one knew about him? Because they operate in secrecy and flourish in denial, just look at your reaction. And yes this is a way to scare parents into joinging this project-rightfully so
The opinions listed here are astounding. This is a letter from a camp director notifying the chabad public that there a predator was potentially on their staff. Yet, people are questioning it’s veracity? Unbelievable!
this may be a good idea but i do not believe that there was abochur who was a big child molester who had multiple victims. and he still applied for camp? and nobody knew of him? please this article sounds like a way to scare the parents and get them to support the project
From a fellow ex Torah Montessorian
Thank you Camp Pioneers!!
And thank you Jewish Community Watch!!
I wonder about the background checks. Who is conducting them and how do they have info on all these ppl? If it was a simple search thru a directory of offenders, any and all of us can do this and it would be amazing that a parole officer or other members wldn’t know that he was working in a kids camp– something illegal for a registered offender. If he is NOT a registered offender and they just have a ‘heimish gemacht’ list, I worry about the accuracy. And if it is known and proven that this bachur is a molester,… Read more »