Brooklyn, NY – Jewish Community Watch, an organization dedicated to preventing child molestation and abuse (CSA) and assisting survivors within the Orthodox Jewish community, has announced the launch of a new website designed to assist survivors of abuse, educate parents about CSA, and expose abusers within the community.
The new site boasts extensive content, an education center, an enlarged Wall of Shame, information for survivors to get help, relevant laws with regards to each state, myths and facts on CSA, as well as FAQs about the organization.
Jewish Community Watch was founded in 2011 by Meyer Seewald, a survivor of abuse, with the stated goal of breaking the silence and shame that surrounds CSA in the Orthodox Jewish community.
JCW’s first website featured a Wall of Shame, where alleged molesters had their pictures posted to warn communities of their threat, and initiated multiple programs geared towards preventing this abuse. Unfortunately, due to an enormous caseload and a lack of funding, JCW was forced to close down in February 2014. Shortly thereafter, Seewald received hundreds of calls and messages protesting the closure, as well as commitments by many to donate money and time towards the reopening of JCW. Thus, after a crowdfunding campaign in July raised a major portion of its annual budget, JCW was relaunched.
The extended Wall of Shame has 93 profiles of Orthodox Jewish abusers, including their photos and last known address. Users of the site can filter the Wall of Shame by location as well as by whether the perpetrator has been arrested, convicted, or exposed by JCW. The profiles of abusers include a list of where they have worked, links to arrest reports, and relevant news stories.
The website and organization have come under fire in the past for their methods of investigation and the public airing of names of alleged abusers.
The site contains a disclaimer stating that “Every effort is made to ensure the accuracy of information posted on this web site. Information posted may be based on independent and private investigations or be reproduced from other sources. We do not guarantee the accuracy of content reproduced from other websites. Legally, all suspects discussed on this website are presumed innocent unless proven guilty by a court of law.”
“We didn’t create this organization because we like to talk about this horrific topic, we created it because we don’t,” said Seewald. “The mission of JCW is simply to prevent, educate, and heal. We prevent further abuse by notifying the public of the threat of the abusers in their vicinity, we educate the public about what to look out for, and we help survivors of abuse heal by reminding them that they are not alone and by supporting them through their battles.”
View here at www.jewishcommunitywatch.org
I am disgusted that people have more sympathy for the perpetrators than for the vicitims. If someone molested a child ‘years ago’: A: which parent doesn’t think their child would be better off not coming in contact with him? As if doing ‘teshuva’ enabled him to change the nature of his lust for chilren. Parents deserve to be informed and keep their children safe from the slightest possiblity of coming in contact with abuse. B: The perpetrator, and the perpetrator only, is responsible for the ruined reputation of his family! NOT the people who rightfully expose abusers in order to… Read more »
most or all comments pro molesters are written by themselves or family members. no one who has had a child or sibling or family member molested will ever condone this act or the privacy of such a person. imagine taking your young beautiful child and turning him into a miserable monster. you killed this child. no parent/friend/family member would say have rachmonus on the molester and therby condeming the child. please
I personally called a very well respected rav about one offender. He said while there was a one time incident decades ago the person sought therapy never reoffended asked mechila etc. He said according to halacha this man did teshuvah many times over. Why is he posted again? He has raised a beautiful family keeps low profile and most importantly did all the above steps. Why are we reopening old wounds and destroying him and his family all over again. If a person did not do Teshva and is on the loose then kudos to jcw.
With all due respect, could you post the # of accusers with each pic?
If it is only 1 maybe that will encourage more people to come forth.
If it is only 1 accuser after a few years of being public, don’t you think that is unusual, in that molesters can’t just stop at 1?
several years ago,parents ino ur community told the rav that a community member had molested their sons’ in the mikveh. the rav’s solution was to tell this person not to go to the mikveh and a few months later he was asked to move out of the community. that’s it;the police weren’t involved.what do you think happened? he did the same thing in another place but this time ended up in prison.
You write “one person up on the wall has been declared by his city’s anash rabbonim to no longer be a threat, nor to have been a threat for 20 years .” Please do not be naive and put your children and those in your community in danger. Do the Rabbonim in that city still allow the abuser to teach or give programs to children? I do not think so. The Rabbonim are neither abuse specialists nor professionally trained to assess an abuser. The bottom line is that Rabbonim nor anyone can GUARANTEE that a person will not abuse again.… Read more »
I would like to thank JCW for all their help in assisting my son and our family after our son was abused by one of the people on the Wall of Shame. For all parents, keep in mind that you cannot control the behavior of these people, but you can at least know who they are, if they have some relationship with your children. Studies have revealed that most abusers abuse more than once and it is usually with someone the abuser knows! Please speak to your children about abuse, G-d forbid before it happens to them. You will never… Read more »
Please wait till you see your name there before you make any
comments. Its very simple to give opinions with seeing
behind the scenes.
It literally sickens me how you all defend these abusers. put your ego/family aside and actually think about another person in pain.
as a mother i want to know who these sick monsters are, even if they “slipped” 20 yrs ago…. call me extreme but if someone shot a person 20 yrs ago bc they “got mad”- i would like to know. these human animals destroying a childs life (even if it was a once time thing)
Dear JCW, I am impressed with much of the resources and articles that you have on your site. Overall it is a great initiative and very helpful. However I would like to appeal to you and all of your Advisors and Board Members regrading aspects of your ‘ Wall of Shame’. Like one commenter, I too know for a fact that one person up on the all has been declared by his city’s anash rabbonim to no longer be a threat, nor to have been a threat for 20 years You have no idea what you have made his wife… Read more »
I have a relative on that wall and although it is embarrassing and humiliating,BH he’s there. My feelings pare in comparison to his victims and cvs future victims. Some of the ignorance of the posters above re what is the purpose of identifying these monsters,of what a child molester is and clinically ALWAYS will be, is astounding!
I guess it takes the process of bringing a life to this world to know the fierce feeling of protection we feel for that life !! Where there is smoke there is fire …. If someone is totally clean of guilt it is well known and obvious , otherwise ….. And the Torah held anyone who was suspect as suspect till proven otherwise if he was in any way suspected of harmful behavior to other humans .. In those days this type of juvenile abuse was punishable by death – learn your Gemara naysayers ( instead of spending time naysaying… Read more »
I think it is critically important to put the number of people accusing someone.
If it is only 1 and no one else has come forward that should be posted.
These perpetrators do not stop at one, so if only 1 person is accusing I think there may be something else going on, like a vendetta for accused being extremely disliked for another legitimate reason.
as victim of abuse and now in married with children , I don’t think everyone fully understands the importance of this site and the wall of shame 1- there are no innocent people on the wall period 2- JCW has never been sued for defamation which is very telling 3- it is not loshon hora to have are roidef on the wall 4- people who are worried about ruining the perpetrators family are from the same mentality that kept well known molesters under wraps for years while more innocent lives were getting ruined. 5- this site is not up to… Read more »
I am speaking from experience : there are people who were indicated but not plastered on the wall and the cases were dismissed after an extremely thorough investigations and there are those who are on the wall of shame, who lied to me while looking in my eyes, and tried to vilify Meyer. There is a pattern of behavior that is so typical. As citizens, we have the right to forcefully confine someone in order to prevent an escape until law enforcement gets there, IF we think the person in question committed a felony. After thorough investigations involving evidence, corroborations,… Read more »
you just don’t get it!!
No ONE is saying we gotta protect or cover up for the molesters . . I just know that one guy there does not belong on that wall. i know for a fact so there might be more who shouldn’t be up there. I feel the criteria needed to be up there is very very unjustified!!! The board or the ceo is not doing the job justly.
As Mendy Pellin is want to say “it could be worse!”
#nomorekvetching
Thank you!!!
There is a lot of filth being parroted here. Not only is in not Loshon Hara but those who cover it up are committing a sin. Why is someone saying “anonymous board” when the board is clearly listed? The one question I have is if someone doesn’t believe that child molestation is so awful than how is JCW destroying their life by saying that they are child molesters? Their presence on the wall of shame is absolutely fair justice. For those who don’t think child molestation is bad, no big deal. JCW only said that they are a child molester… Read more »
Thank You JCW for taking this on! You are literally saving lives! May Hashem help you have great success in protecting our children!
If anyone ever says they were abused they are telling the honest truth and need the best therapy available-you have no idea how much this affects people for decades to the extent that they never really get over it. It is about time it came out of the closet and is the major cause of our childrem– falling between the cracks and unfortunately going of the derech- I know the above from various sources
There are many times children have been molested, have been afraid to tell any one and by the time they seek help and go to the authorities it is past the statute of limitations preventing the abuser from being arrested or punished for his or her crime. Just because someone has not been arrested for his or her crime does not mean they haven’t committed a HORRIBLE act and and ruined a child’s life! Shame on the people who commented above, using “Loshon Hora” as a reason to protect abusers! Don’t use my holy Torah to defend these disgusting animals… Read more »
BH that there is an organization like JCW that is finally shedding light and spreading awareness about this very serious and relevant issue. May you have much Hatzlacha in doing this important Shlichus.
I do not judge you just because one of your relatives is on the site. JCW is run by a group of professionals. If you are so sure that someone is innocent that’s on there they can definitely Sue quite easily as a private person this would be slander. It’s interesting that they have never been sued don’t you think?
-JCW does and did allot to awake us to the problem of child abuse. -Convicted molesters are to be known to the community so we can protect are children. -People who were taken to court and were not convicted should not be posted on a wall of shame. -Those who are not able to be convicted because of it legally being to late, should be put only if a board of reputable people agree to it. -The same goes for those that are in middle of a judgement. -In the last three situations, extreme cautious should be used, since it… Read more »
The Talmud says that G-d himself SUPPORTED Bar Kamtza because He was shocked that one person could publicly embarrass another
Thank you guys for getting this back up! I cant believe that you guys are feeling bad for these people! What about kids that are victims and are living a life of hell? Think before you post!
Hatzhlacha with the site!
thanks COL – important news.
As for the detractors again all one can say is shocking that you would protect the molesters over the welfare of the children, past present and future!
Thank you so much for protecting our precious children!
This site should definitely deter anyone from even thinking of doing such a crime!
My heart goes out to all those victims and it’s you that we have to thank for coming out and letting it be known so that no other child should go thru such an ordeal
i know for a fact that one guy up there was declared not a threat and hasnt done anything for 20 years and what he did was minimal so this site is not so reliable to say the least. we want our children protected but that is not a reason to put up names who are suspects or bec. someone related a tale etc. For sure they do not analyse and investigate properly bec. this guy would not be up there.
Nobody wants children to be abused. But posting pictures is simply not helpful. We need campaigns to educate, children, parents, teachers and Rabbonim. We need to make it clear that EVERYONE is answerable.
Good to see it is back up.
A very noble site. … naysayers are family or the molesters themselves.
On the one hand we need to know names of abusers and it’s definitely not lashon hora keposhut.
On the other hand from having heard about who qualifies to go up, it doesn’t seem fair at all. Bottom line im happy the site exists, but I think it’s important for it to have its critics.
Wishing you much Hatzlacha!
Thank you for protecting our children.
Sincerely ,
a grateful mother
#1 – No, it is not Lashon Hara. Life sentences are not actually for life so yes, it is important to post their name #2 – these people 1000% need help! AND chances of them getting help are nearly none. It is important to protect anyone else from suffering the unbearable unfathomable pain of molestation or rape. I’m guessing you are not a victim or you would no say such things. Even in the rare chance the perpetrator is willing to get help, there is no promises as to the success of that help nor is there a promise he… Read more »
It really gets to me that people are trying to cover up molesters actions. What if you were chas vishalom a victim? Would you stay silent too? I sure hope not. I hope JCW can help those who already fell pray to these sicko’s and can help prevent future cases of molestation. To #7 – no you have not noticed a “sharp increase in child molestation” you are simply more aware of cases as more people are encouraged to speak out about it thanks to organizations like JCW! And on a last note – did you know that in jail… Read more »
Until you publicize your list of credentials that deem someone a molester, your wall of shame is worth next to nothing. How can I trust the senses of your anonymous board without knowing what they consider a perpetrator?
Plain old defamation.
“What’s the point?” To stop child abuse!
“Helping a yid?” What about helping our innocent children, do they not need help as well?
“Ruining their lives and their families’ lives?” What about the lives of molested children, are they not destroyed in an instant??
Do you seriously not care about those children, or are you just naievely pretending they don’t exist to make yourselves feel better about the world? Imagine it was your child. It DOES happen and far more often than you think. DONT bury your head in the sand. This can help them.
I have nothing against the website, the education, the FAQ and laws. But one thing. The wall of Shame is totally useless. Only put people up who have been arrested
All of the people calling for this site to take down images are putting our children in danger. Molestation in our community is a grave problem. Suicides have resulted from being quiet and many lives ruined. This site is very important in deterring people from molesting children. As far as legal rights are concerned, this site has every legal right to post these photos since they are not libeling, but merely stating the reality. Go check for yourself. It is better that one thousand child molesters’ lives get “ruined” through this site, than one more child getting molested. If you… Read more »
A tremendous amount of research is done before anyone is placed on the wall of shame, this is nor מוצאי שם רע, Molesters are considered to be a רודף.
nothing has changed, they want to be judge and executioner.
Is it important to put up names of people that were convicted and sat in jail. We all agree the guy is sick…and our hearts go outvto his victims. However, does the extended family have to suffer for someone they just share a name with. Enough of thisloshan hara!!!! The world is shaking and we have to be very careful about embarrassing others.
For all the confused people out there:
We will continue to spread the word and work to annihilate this terrible sickness (irrespective of the fact that the perpetrators need to take care of their own personal healing!)
This is the least we can do to ensure the safety of our children, families and society as a whole.
If you would like to provide any other HELPFUL constructive suggestions, feel free to do so!
All people listed on the wall of shame have been convicted.
Since the website has been dead, molestation has been outta control. This website is really very helpful.
In the above article itself it states “all suspects discussed on this website are presumed innocent unless proven guilty by a court of law.” So why why put these people up on your list to put out the word that they MIGHT be guilty In the meantime YOU ARE Motzi Shem Ra and RUINING their lives!!!
You write “all suspects discussed on this website are presumed innocent unless proven guilty by a court of law.”
What right does that give you to post names that may be innocent. Did you hear of the talmid who was just angry at his teacher and made false claims? There are others.
You have no right to destroy reputations needlessly. once a person is accused, it is difficult to clear him, even if he is totally innocent.
There must be unrefuted and absolutely proven charges before posting anything publicly.
chazak ve ematz
Just because someone is accused, does not mean they did it
This site needs to be careful before it gets a law suit
Whats the point of putting up names of people on this ‘wall of shame’? Are u one thousand percent sure they abused someone? and even if so-they obviously need help-and you are a yid who wants to help others and stop abuse right? so before you go and ruin their life and the lives of their family-offer your ‘help and services’ to them so it ‘won’t happen again’!
I looked threw the wall of shame and I saw two people on there that are in jail for life anyway why do they have to be posted as they are not a threat anyway? Isn’t that loshen hora?