JC.COM
A strictly Orthodox community is running a fundraising campaign for a convicted child molester who avoided jail by hiding in London for two years.
Nachman Stal lived secretly among the Charedi community in Stamford Hill, north London, having fled Israel in 2006 after being found guilty of sodomy and indecent assault of a minor.
The father-of-nine lost an extradition hearing in June and is now serving his sentence in an Israeli prison.
Members of the Stamford Hill community are appealing for money to support his wife and children, who have also returned to Israel..A fundraising committee spokesman, who asked not to be named, said: "We are trying to raise a large amount both for legal fees and also to support the family. We are doing what we can to help.[...]
A strictly Orthodox community is running a fundraising campaign for a convicted child molester who avoided jail by hiding in London for two years.
Nachman Stal lived secretly among the Charedi community in Stamford Hill, north London, having fled Israel in 2006 after being found guilty of sodomy and indecent assault of a minor.
The father-of-nine lost an extradition hearing in June and is now serving his sentence in an Israeli prison.
Members of the Stamford Hill community are appealing for money to support his wife and children, who have also returned to Israel..A fundraising committee spokesman, who asked not to be named, said: "We are trying to raise a large amount both for legal fees and also to support the family. We are doing what we can to help.[...]
Halachic question: are legal fees for a legitimately convicted violator of mishkav zachor correct uses of funds when there are other needs such as assistance to the victims and general communal needs. Furthermore, if we assume that such a person is likely to resume molesting on release is it allowed to assist such a person in being released. Have any recent halachic authorities spoken directly to this issue.
ReplyDeleteI can see raising money for the wife and children who are most certainly also victims of this creature.
ReplyDeleteBut to consider his legal fees a worthy tzedakah????
Why isn't anyone raising money for treatment of the victims of molesters?
Aside from the forty million uninsured Americans, countless with insurance have only limited mental health coverage. (This is true in the UK, US and Israel).
Treatment for a small number of victims of sexual abuse often requires the services of clinical professionals with specialized training and may last one or several years.
Evaluation and treatment of pedophiles also requires highly specialized work and generally lasts two-three years.
Inadequate insurance coverage is a serious obstacle to adequately supervising child molesters who want help and thereby protect the public.
I'm also curious if it is all convicted criminals for whom money is collected to support their family.
ReplyDeleteIf there is such a charity, why does this family need additional support, and if there isn't one, why is this family more deserving of support than families of other criminals?
The JC article mentions convictions on charges for two separate incidents at different times; the community spokesman who is raising the money says "it was one incident." It may not be exactly what Daniel Patrick Moynihan called "defining deviancy down" but it's a close relative.
ReplyDeleteBut I guess it just goes to show that the Chareidi world is hardly monolithic: In London they're raising money for the legal fees of a man who like to have sex with underage boys, in other places Chareidim take to the streets, and sometimes violence erupts when people with the same "sexual preference" want to have a parade.