Is a parent who had incestual relations - decades ago - still a danger to family?

Received this letter today with permission to post it. Any constructive suggestions welcome. I don't deal with this type of assessment - and I am not sure it is even is valid. Therefore I think the family needs to be informed as a first step - and the father evaluated by an experienced professional. Since he hasn't molested anybody recently - there is no requirement either according to halacha or secular law to report him. The issue is entirely whether he is dangerous.

[Update 11/16/2011]. I discussed this issue with a number of psychologists who deal with abuse. The consensus was that while testing can be useful -  there in no test which can establish that a person is not a threat. So while it does happen that an abuser stops - it is difficult to determine whether a particular abuser has permanently stopped and is no longer a danger. Often it simply means that he choses his victims more carefully so that he doesn't get caught. Therefore this abuser can not be trusted and care must always be taken not to leave him alone with children. So while there is no requirement to report him to the police in the absence of any known abuse in many years - he is a major concern. However how to inform others is not a simple matter - especially where no one is willing to file a complaint. Therefore an expert in child abuse should be consulted for advice how to proceed. It is important to know that sometimes an abuser will abstain for 20 or 30 years and then start again.

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Dear Rabbi Eidensohn,

I am writing because of the work you have done into the problem of pedophilia, etc. My question is as follows.

A (female) student/friend of mine was incested as a child by her father, a rabbi from a prominent Chassidic family. She knows of cousins who were also abused by him, many years earlier, when he was still a bochur.  (These cousins include two women and a man). She (my student) has reason to believe that her brother and another sister were also incested. My student is now over forty and the abuse occurred between age 2 and 12.; Her father admitted to it. Until last night she had not spoken with anyone in the family about it (except her mother).

My friend has distanced herself from her family (gently but firmly with no explanation) starting about 10 years ago, but in the course of her own healing process she realized that her nieces and nephews are likely in danger for the scientific research suggests that a pedophile rarely ceases his predatory behavior at his own initiative, even in elder years (her father is probably in his late sixties). So yesterday she spoke with her brother, and told him her story, and charged him with informing their other siblings to be cautious with their children and to not leave them alone on any regular basis, with their grandfather.

The brother took it in, and then said that there is this therapist who gives people a test that is supposed to distinguish between pedophiles who are likely to be still dangerous and those who are probably not. He wants to ask his father to take this test to see if it is really necessary to inform his siblings. (Also if his father is really a danger than maybe he must inform the next generation his own children, nieces and nephews to watch their children).

My question is,: Do you know anything about this test. Do you think it is reliable. What if the perpetrator lies about the extent of his previous offences, can it detect that. Do you know about this therapist. Is there someone you can refer me to who might help me sort this out. My friend/student does not want to be involved any more.  She feels like she did her bit by telling her brother, and feels that further involvement would be harmful to her, so she has dropped the ball in my court.

Any help or advice would be greatly appreciated.  Many thanks

Penn Scandal: Aish HaTorah did not publish my criticism of their article

Yesterday I submitted my criticism of Aish HaTorah - The_Penn_State_Scandal article to their comment section-  it has so far not appeared. I assume it was rejected. See my post- Penn-state-scandal-learning-torah-from goyim

Positive feedback from a reader regarding my books on abuse

little sheep wrote:

Hi,

As a survivor of child sexual abuse, as well as someone who runs an online support group and an educator of young children, I want to commend you for the sensitivity you displayed in your book. I borrowed volume one from a friend (also a survivor and educator) and have just ordered volumes two and three.

You may not get this response often, therefore I feel compelled to send it to you. After staying up all night last night reading your book, I ultimately realized that I had enough information about a certain member of my support site indicating that she and a sibling are in imminent danger and was able to contact people  to help her get started on the process of reporting her abuse. Unfortunately, she is still at a stage of extreme fear (rightly so-the last attack she experienced was on Yom Kippur, after she refused to forgive the perpetrator for a previous attack), and says she will not talk to the authorities if they speak to her. Therefore, two therapists and a rav are now working with her to get her into counseling and hopefully help her leave the house and report the abuse.

Thank you so much for all the work you do for k'lal yisroel!

Catholic bishop who violated mandated reporting - gets a deal

New York Times

.

In a deal to avoid a second round of criminal charges, a Roman Catholic bishop in Kansas City has agreed to meet monthly with a county prosecutor to detail every suspicious episode involving abuse of a child in his diocese for the next five years. 

Bishop Robert W. Finn of the Diocese of Kansas City-St. Joseph was indicted in October by a grand jury in neighboring Jackson County for failure to report suspected child abuse by a priest he supervised. He is the first American bishop to face indictment on charges of mishandling an abuse case. [...]

But victims’ advocates criticized the deal because it essentially allows Bishop Finn to avoid prosecution and relies on him to volunteer information to the prosecutor. 

“There’s no one else that they would make this kind of a deal with but a bishop,” said Marci Hamilton, a professor of public law at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law at Yeshiva University, who has written about the church and child abuse cases. “There’s always all this maneuvering to avoid having bishops testify in child sex abuse cases, or in any case.”

Crown Heights Beis Din: Must report abuse claims to secular authorities.

 See actual psak of Beis Din posted on Daas Torah

Jerusalem Post

In the past four months the Crown Heights Jewish Community has seen as many sexual abuse-related arrests and reports as there have been in the past 20 years. A Crown Heights victims’ advocacy group called CH Watch has documented at least four arrests in the past four months. What has lead to this drastic upsurge in reporting child sexual abuse? What was the game changer that turned the tide, leaving the offenders running for cover and the victims openly speaking to the police? In a courageous move on July 11, 2011, the Crown Heights Rabbinical Court (Beit Din) issued a public letter requiring its members to report credible claims of sexual abuse to the police.

Other rabbinical authorities have also encouraged their members to go the police, but what was unique here is the fact that the Crown Heights Beit Din made the matter public and not only allowed its members to report directly to the police, but required it.[...]

Penn State scandal: Learning Torah from the Goyim:

 One of the ironies of the Penn State scandal is the embarrasing spectacle of a Jewish writer trying to  show the superiority of Judaism by the misdeeds of non-Jews. He condemns certain non-Jews  - who while acting according to their legal obligations - failed to act on the highest moral level. This article unfortunately failed to note that in fact the widespread response of Jewish rabbis and communities in dealing with abuse is not only not in accord with the secular law - but it is not in accord with the halacha and is morally bankrupt.

I find it embarrassing as an observant Jew to acknowledge the shameful fact that in contrast to our rabbinical leadership - the Penn State trustees acted in accord with the highest moral standards in order to protect children and ensure that the college should be an example of moral leadership. They showed real moral courage by firing the extremely popular football coach and the popular president of the university - simply for failing to do what was right. In fact we need to understand that the Torah imperatives for these situations are those of the Penn State trustees - protect the children, to provide moral leadership - and accept full responsiblity to do everything possible to help others. 

So even though our Sages (Eicha Rabba 2:9) say if someone says that there is wisdom amongst the goyim you can believe it but not if they say there is Torah - in this case it is appropriate to  acknowledge in this abuse case that the goyim of Penn State have shown us what the Torah truly expects us to do.

Aish HaTorah

When Paterno realized that the Penn State administration was not dealing with the situation (or perhaps covering it up), what should he have done? Was he under any further obligation? Even if he was under no legal obligation, is there a difference between the “letter of the law” and the “spirit of the law”?

The Torah states: “Do not stand idly on your brother’s blood” (Leviticus 19:16). This is an imperative to get involved when a situation goes awry. The Almighty created the world as a workshop for self-perfection. No matter what our station in life, no matter what our innate abilities, the Almighty puts us in a particular situation in order that we make the right choice – no matter how uncomfortable or how politically inexpedient.[...]

The Torah says that if you have a chance to fix something in the world – whether stopping your colleague from an illegal act, or helping to feed starving children – and you do not act, then you ultimately bear responsibility. Perhaps, for that reason alone, the firing of Joe Paterno was justified.

New York mandated reporting laws - limitations for yeshiva teachers

NY has two mandated reporting laws, one in the Social Service Law; and the other in the Education Law.

The Social Service Law lists school officials and teachers as mandated reporters of abuse. That type of abuse is limited to parent-child abuse, or guardian-child abuse.Also when I called the NYS hot line to ask whether the law means both public and private school officials and teachers, they said, yes.

The Education Law mandated reporting statute applies to abuse inflicted by school teachers and any other employees, and is specifically limited to public schools, no question about that.

Reinstating a physically abusive teacher

Bechoros(46a)/Gittin(36a)/(Makkos 16b): There was a case of a teacher of children who had physically abused his students [by beating them excessively – Rashi Gittin 36a] [ and some of them had died – Rashi Bechoros 46a] and as a result he had been made to take an oath by Rav Acha not to teacher children anymore [Rashi – Gittin 36a]. However Ravina had reinstated him because there was no other teacher who taught as precisely or as well.

Tzitz Eliezer( 22:59.2): You ask regarding Rashi (Bechoros 46a) who said that the students didn’t die immediately after the teacher beat him, “I don’t understand. Even if the students didn’t die immediately from the teachers blows, how could Ravina reinstate him just because he couldn’t find a better teacher – is it permitted to reinstate a teacher who causes his students to die? Furthermore you note that it doesn’t mention at all that the teacher promised to stop his evil ways?” It appears that this is a very serious question. In answer there are two issues 1) Rashi doesn’t have to be understood that it was typical that the students were hit harder than necessary that they eventually died but rather that it did happen. 2) It is also clear that after the teacher was removed from his position he repented of his evil ways. However he was not able to be reinstated because of the oath that Rav Acha had made until Ravina came and released him from the oath because there was need for this teacher and thus it was considered a mitzva. But this was only because he had already promised to turn over a new leaf.

Pedophiles infiltrate respected institutions to find victims

USA Today

The Penn State allegations may seem unthinkable: revered assistant coach and prominent community activist Jerry Sandusky preying on eight children. But such abuses of trust play out in the USA over and over again.

Respected people who set up charitable or social groups for children, only to be implicated in some form of child sexual abuse, are a frightening reality.

"I call them 'institutions of trust,' " says Portland, Ore., attorney Kelly Clark, who has represented more than 300 sex abuse victims. Some predators are so tacitly trusted "that when something like this happens, the instinctive reaction is, 'That can't happen here. We can't allow the mission to be compromised,' " he says.

Abuse experts say the common denominators in many such crimes are parents willing to allow noted people to have unrestricted access to their kids. Among recent cases:[...]

Bedatz denounces Jewish Taliban ladies

BHOL

The Bedatz condemned the extremists sect as an unacceptable deviation from Judaism. An example was a woman whose daughter's life was in danger. She took her daughter to the hospital for treatment. However the mother insisted that her daughter only be treated by female doctors and nurses. When this was not done she took her daughter from the hospital. Thus she held contrary to the Torah that modesty takes precedence over life.

Early sexual abuse increases heart risks

Reuters

Women who were repeatedly sexually abused as girls have a 62 percent higher risk of heart problems later in life compared with women who were not abused, U.S. researchers said on Sunday.

Fla. Jury Awards $100M in Priest Abuse Case

Kids react to parents eating their Halloween candy

Study Finds Signs of Awareness in 3 ‘Vegetative’ Patients

NYTimes

Three severely brain-injured people thought to be in an irreversible “vegetative” state showed signs of full consciousness when tested with a relatively inexpensive and commonly used method of measuring brain waves, doctors reported Wednesday. Experts said the findings, if replicated, would change standards in treating such patients. 

Scientists have seen meaningful, responsive brain activity in such patients before, using a high-tech magnetic resonance imaging scanner. But the new study, posted online Wednesday by the journal The Lancet, is the first to demonstrate that clear signs of conscious awareness can be detected on an electroencephalogram machine by using an innovative strategy. The EEG is a portable, widely available unit that picks up electrical brain activity through electrodes positioned on a person’s head. Clinics and homes treating people with severe brain injuries are far more likely to have access to an EEG than to an M.R.I. scanner.